The Office of Personnel Management's inspector general is investigating the Department of Government Efficiency's use of the agency's data system, according to reports.
Acting Inspector General Norbert Vint is probing potential cybersecurity and privacy risks tied to DOGE’s actions, according to a letter made public Monday, Nextgov/FCW reported.
He sent a letter to Democrat members of the House Oversight Committee on Friday informing them of his decision, The Hill reported.
"You requested that the OPM Office of the Inspector General (OIG) assess the security of government networks, determine whether OPM followed appropriate protocols, and provide responses to specific questions related to network security at OPM." Vint wrote, according to The Hill who has a copy of his letter. "The OPM OIG has reviewed your request and incorporated parts of your request into existing work.
"We have also just begun an engagement to assess risks associated with new and modified information systems at OPM."
Oversight Ranking Member Gerry Connolly, D-Va., sent a Feb. 6 letter to Vint "to express urgent concerns regarding recent reports that unauthorized individuals have gained access to protected government networks and sensitive, potentially classified data."
OPM, known as the government’s human resources department, was one of the first agencies accessed by DOGE, which created the hr@opm.gov email address, and began contacting federal workers ahead of the government buyout program, the outlet said.
DOGE also used the email address to demand federal workers send a list of five accomplishments to recap their week.
Trump named Elon Musk to lead DOGE, which was tasked with streamlining government and reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in spending.
Nextgov/FCW previously reported the OPM emails requesting employees accomplishments may have run afoul of the system’s privacy policy because responses were not initially framed as "explicitly voluntary."
On Feb. 24, a federal judge blocked DOGE from accessing sensitive data maintained by the Education Department and OPM.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, issued the temporary restraining order at the behest of a coalition of labor unions who argued the agencies wrongly granted DOGE access to records containing personal information on millions of Americans.
On Feb. 27, a federal judge in San Francisco found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive dismantling of the federal workforce.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the Office of Personnel Management to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including the Department of Defense.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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