Why Elon Musk’s Possible Access to Labor Department Data is a Source of Concern | Global News Avenue

The debate over whether Elon Musk has too much power over the U.S. government’s actions expanded to new territory on Wednesday.

During the Senate confirmation hearing, President Donald Trump’s nominee in charge of Labor Department Lori Chavez-Deremer, asking if Musk is allowed.

Democratic Senator Patty Murray from Washington asked Chavez-Deremer if she allowed Musk and the government’s efficiency force, who was responsible for viewing sensitive documents. Last week, Musk’s Doge employees reportedly received access to DOL data, although the records they received, if any, are not clear at this time.

Considering the role of the department in regulating Musk’s operations, including SpaceX and TeslaMurray said. She also raised concerns about the possibility of manipulation of monthly employment data and other economic indicators, and internal transactions could occur.

“Elon Musk now has the ability to use his unelected role to leverage confidential government data to drive his own corporate interests while suppressing competitors. And personal information?”

Chavez-deremer does not take one way or another.

“Because I haven’t gotten confirmed yet, I’ve only seen reports that everyone else has seen,” she said. “If confirmed, I’ll support the Department of Labor.”

Doge mining data

Communication took place between Musk’s Governor’s team and federal employees with multiple federal agencies accessing sensitive data.

Trump has appointed unofficial government agencies to determine cost savings for federal agencies. Last week, at least one senior official from the Ministry of Finance and The acting head of the Social Security Bureau resigns After Doge employees request access to a database of personal information about U.S. citizens and government payments.

Murray is not the first to draw attention to the Department of Labor and its role as a key role in economic information in the Trump administration. Before Trump took office, at least one former DOL official warned that Trump’s plan could reshape the workforce of DOL and other statistical agencies by removing a career in civil servants Destroy public trust In official economic data, data can be manipulated to gain political advantage.

The department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics uses a nationwide survey of employers and families to generate widely used economic indicators, including unemployment and Consumer Price Index Inflation measure.