Freedom of Information Act Request Seeks Records Concerning Unlawful DOGE Employee Access to Sensitive Social Security Data and Signing of Voter Data Agreement
Baltimore, Md. – The fallout from the bombshell revelation that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) admitted to multiple inaccuracies and misrepresentations it made to federal courts in a case challenging the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees’ access to Americans’ personal Social Security data continued today, as pro-democracy legal organization Democracy Forward filed new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests demanding documents related to the high profile matter.
“The revelations of misconduct by the Trump-Vance administration – and suggestions that our sensitive taxpayer data has been shared by DOGE to unknown outside unaccountable organizations – should concern every single American,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “We need to know exactly how far this unlawful assault on our privacy and fair elections goes, so we can be sure that not only is any criminality addressed, but that the upcoming federal elections are protected from unlawful manipulation.”
The FOIA requests seek a copy of the “Voter Data Agreement” that was signed by a DOGE team member at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and a political advocacy group – widely suspected to be True the Vote, an election denying group – the two Hatch Act referrals sent by SSA to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel regarding the staff that had communicated with the group; and communications between SSA DOGE staff and True the Vote. The requests also seek records to better understand the use of Cloudflare by DOGE affiliated staff.
The new FOIA requests come a day after a coalition of unions and retiree advocates represented by Democracy Forward submitted two separate filings – one in federal district court and one in the federal Court of Appeals – seeking to add information to the record in a case regarding brazen misconduct recently admitted to by the Trump-Vance administration. The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland motion was granted earlier today.
This new information request is the latest development in a saga that started when a coalition of unions and retiree advocates – including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) – filed a lawsuit (AFSCME v. SSA) in February 2025, seeking emergency relief after uncovering facts showing that DOGE operatives had gained access to private Social Security records. According to declarations in the case, DOGE personnel entered SSA systems without appropriate legal authority, bypassed key data safeguards, and placed the private information of millions of Americans – including bank account numbers, health records, wage histories, and immigration status – at risk of exposure, theft, or abuse.
The court took historic action soon afterwards, ordering DOGE to delete all unlawfully accessed data and temporarily blocking further access while the case was appealed to higher courts by the administration. The court order was later stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court via their shadow docket while plaintiffs vigorously pursue this matter in the lower courts.
Then, on January 16, 2026, the government filed a “Notice of Corrections to the Record” in the case, which disclosed a number of inaccuracies in information the government had previously provided to the court. Notably, this information comes to light as the Trump-Vance administration is under fire for its attempts to misuse individuals’ personal information to purge voter rolls in states ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The shocking revelation prompted a series of new filings in AFSCME v. SSA, including yesterday’s motions requesting the new information be incorporated into the record. Those motions can be found here and here.
Today’s FOIA requests can be found here. The original complaint in AFSCME v. SSA can be found here.
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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.
