DeGette, Goldman, Carter, Pressley, and Sánchez Introduce Legislation to Protect Americans’ Health Data

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) along with Reps. Dan Goldman (NY-10), Troy Carter (LA-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Linda Sánchez (CA-38) introduced the Data Of Government Health Entities must be Protected from Overreach by Unelected Nonsecure Disruption (or DOGE POUND) Act to prevent inappropriate intrusion into sensitive health care systems. 

“Over 1 million Coloradoans rely on Medicare, and their health care and personal information must be protected from the illegal schemes of Elon Musk and DOGE,” Rep. DeGette said. “The federal government is entrusted with highly sensitive data, and we must ensure it stays in the hands of qualified public servants—not unelected billionaires like Musk. While Trump and his corrupt cronies are busy trying to dismantle our health care system for personal gain, this bill would put an end to their gross overstep of power and keep them from meddling in Americans’ health care and private information.”

“Americans’ personal and sensitive health information is not for sale, regardless of how much money Elon Musk paid Trump for unfettered access to it,” Rep. Goldman said. “Trump and Musk’s 'special government employees' are not exempt from the rule of law that mandates background checks and oversight for those who have access to our social security numbers, medical records, financial information, and more. This legislation will provide a necessary check on any administration’s ability to give unqualified, unvetted partisans access to our most sensitive personal and medical data, and I’m proud to fight for every American’s right to live free from DOGE’s invasion of our privacy.”

"The DOGE POUND Act is a critical safeguard against reckless interference in Louisianians health care. No one should have to worry that their private medical information or essential care decisions could be hijacked by political chaos or corporate overreach. This legislation ensures that only trusted, qualified civil servants—not unaccountable billionaires or rogue enterprises—can access sensitive health data. Protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA from corruption and abuse is not just common sense, it’s a necessity for the health and security of millions of Americans,” said Rep. Carter, Sr. 

“We can’t let Elon Musk and his DOGE bros dismantle our government and raid our personal and sensitive health data,” said Rep. Pressley. “With Trump and Republicans letting them do just that, our bill would protect our right to privacy and tell Musk and Doge: hands off!” 

“Elon Musk and DOGE are unlawfully accessing Americans' most sensitive personal and medical data. It’s unacceptable for unelected and unvetted individuals to have such access to this private information. Our would put an end to this severe breach of privacy by strengthening protections that prevent anyone from accessing personal data for political purposes,” said Rep. Sánchez.

Americans deserve to know their private information and essential health care is safe from politically motivated chaos. To ensure their privacy, the DOGE POUND Act would: 

• ensure only trustworthy, established civil servants can access individually identifiable health information held by Medicare and other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) entities,
• require the Inspector General of HHS to investigate each unauthorized access of such data and report to Congress on it, and
• provide for penalties of up to five years in prison for ineligible individuals who access or use HHS data or individuals who allow HHS data to be accessed by unauthorized individuals. 

Background

In February, aides from DOGE were granted access to the payment and contracting systems at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS provides health coverage to more than 160 million Americans through various programs including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Recent polling shows that 63% of Americans are concerned about DOGE’s access to sensitive information, and 55% believe Elon Musk has too much power.

Read the full bill text here.

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