The Department of Education’s Office watchdog is launching an investigation into the agency’s sensitive data systems, according to a letter first obtained by ABC News.
The news comes after Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a group of her Democratic colleagues sent a letter requesting a probe of the Department of Government Efficiency’s alleged “infiltration” of the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid office, which handles the nation’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio.
Asked about the investigation, the Department of Education referred ABC News to an appeals court decision last month, which did allow DOGE access to sensitive data at several agencies, including the student loan portfolio at the department. The White House claimed President Trump’s success through DOGE is “undisputed,” “legal” and yielding “historic results.”
“The American people deserve to know if Elon Musk’s DOGE guys had access to private Social Security numbers and income information,” Warren told ABC News. “It’s about time these amateurs in the Education Department were investigated.”
Sensitive data that Warren warned could be vulnerable includes anything from borrowers’ social security numbers to personal information that is used within the National Student Loan Data Systems.
The acting inspector general said it “plans to look into the Department’s processes for managing access to several sensitive Department data systems.” This will be a coordinated effort with the Government Accountability Office, which is also looking into issues involving access and handling of sensitive data at the department, according to the letter from the acting inspector general.
The OIG claimed its probe will begin “shortly,” but a timeline for when — or if — a final report would be issued was not immediately available.
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