Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the ranking member on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, is calling for an investigation into the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to data at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Department of Labor (DOL).
In a letter addressed to Luiz Santos, the acting inspector general for DOL, and Ruth Blevins, the NLRB inspector general, Connolly argued that DOGE employees may have engaged in “technological malfeasance and illegal activity.”
After NPR published a whistleblower report and Oversight Democrats obtained disclosures, Connolly believes DOGE officials have “attempted to exfiltrate and alter data while also using high-level systems access to remove sensitive information.”
“I also understand that these individuals have attempted to conceal their activities, obstruct oversight, and shield themselves from accountability,” he wrote.
According to NPR’s reporting, staff at the NLRB were alarmed about what DOGE employees did once granted access and noticed a rise in data leaving the agency.
Daniel Berulis, the whistleblower, told NPR he was piecing parts of the puzzle together and called it a scary and “very bad picture.”
Connolly also expressed concern, arguing that NLRB and DOL are critical in holding companies accountable for unsafe working conditions and union and labor experiences.
He also highlighted DOGE leader Elon Musk’s role in the activity, noting that Musk’s various businesses have “repeatedly raised labor concerns.”
Connolly asked the inspectors general to investigate a series of questions and respond by April 29, saying they are “not hypothetical concerns.”
“As ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I ask that you report to Congress the nature of the work the DOGE team has performed at NLRB and DOL,” Connolly wrote.
A White House official said multiple career officials had access to the data and the administration defended DOGE’s role in data sharing.
“It is months-old news that President Trump signed an Executive Order to hire DOGE employees at agencies and coordinate data sharing,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to The Hill. “Their highly-qualified team has been extremely public and transparent in its efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse across the Executive Branch, including the NLRB.”
Updated April 16 at 9:30 a.m.
