Over 50 House Democrats Seek Clarity Post Whistleblower Allegations Against DOGE

On April 21, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol, Democratic legislators voiced concerns to the National Labor Relations Board about a whistleblower's alarming claims concerning the Department of Government Efficiency. The report suggests that critical worker data may have been inappropriately accessed or compromised.

A coalition of over fifty Democrats penned a request to senior officials for information on a potential data breach involving employee information.

Addressed to Acting General Counsel William Cowen of the National Labor Relations Board, the letter seeks clarity from the independent entity tasked with scrutinizing labor practice complaints and safeguarding workers' unionization rights.

Prompted by a news outlet's revelations, the Congressional Labor Caucus's letter emerged after learning that a whistleblower from the NLRB's IT department suspects DOGE might have accessed sensitive labor data, potentially compromising system integrity.

"These disclosures are alarming on multiple fronts," lawmakers cautioned in their correspondence with Cowen. They emphasized that if validated, such actions display a hazardous mishandling of personal worker information, thus exposing them to possible retaliation related to protected union activities.

Daniel Berulis, a cloud administrator under NLRB's IT team, emerged as a key source for this whistleblower report. NPR featured him in several interviews.

Berulis's initial concerns materialized in March during the visit by Trump's Department of Government Efficiency to the NLRB. They allegedly demanded unrestricted access, sidestepping logging protocols. Tension peaked as Berulis observed a substantial data outflow concurrent with disabled security checks and auditing measures.

Berulis feared that DOGE, effectively helmed by a Trump advisor, might exploit sensitive insights pertaining to U.S. corporate investigations, witness testimonies, and confidences of businesses. Such gaps in data protection risk exposure to cybercriminal activities and foreign threats.

WHY DOGE would need such internal data, when its mission is purportedly to streamline government operations, remains uncertain. Lawmakers keenly questioned DOGE's actual necessity for NLRB's internal systems given its mandate of reducing federal expenditures.

"Given their previous interest in sensitive data across federal agencies, DOGE's intent to access NLRB data unrelated to fiscal transactions is inexplicable," they noted.

Concerns were likewise raised over potential conflicts, citing figures like Elon Musk, whom Trump has labeled as a DOGE leader, potentially benefiting from insights into sensitive labor data amidst ongoing investigations involving his companies.

Lawmakers urged immediate relay of answers to NLRB leadership, especially as DOGE personnel were reportedly at the headquarters and are expected for part-time stints over the coming months.

In response to NPR, NLRB indicated no recorded visit by DOGE in early March, no granted access, nor any official DOGE system access request. An inside probe into a possible breach was conducted post-Berulis's notification, though agency officials dismissed findings of a breach. Yet, Berulis argues his evidence warrants further probing by higher investigative bodies.

Berulis's findings coincide with broader allegations against DOGE, suggesting mishandling of delicate data across multiple government divisions, from the Treasury to Social Security.