HHS grants DOGE access to child support database, overriding objections
Source: Washington Post
Updated March 8, 2025 at 2:10 p.m. EST
The Department of Health and Human Services has granted associates of the U.S. DOGE Service access to a sensitive child support database with troves of income data, overriding the objections of career employees, according to four people familiar with the matter.
The government database — created to help enforce child support payments and overseen by the Administration for Children and Families, or ACF — contains substantial amounts of personal income data linked to nearly all U.S. workers. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
An HHS official confirmed that DOGE received access to the system, saying that DOGE’s agents sought “read-only access” to the system and were required “to take all necessary trainings” before being granted permission to use it.
“ACF supports DOGE’s efforts to improve efficiency and data quality to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs,” the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal operations, wrote in an email. “ACF will continue to assist DOGE in efforts to strengthen the programs it runs.”
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/08/hhs-doge-child-support/
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