A DOGE spokesperson contends, “No classified material was accessed without proper security clearances.” Musk posted on X calling for USAID “to die” and accusing the independent agency, without evidence, of being a “criminal organization.” Later, he said that he and Trump were shutting down USAID and instructed agency employees not to show up for work.
In addition, over the past week, workers at the Technology Transformation Services (TTS), housed within the General Services Administration (GSA), were summoned into meetings to discuss their code and projects with Musk’s team members. TTS helps develop the platforms and tools that underpin many government services, including analytics tools and API plugins that agencies can use to deploy tech faster. Thomas Shedd, who used to work for Musk’s Tesla, is now the head of TTS. Some DOGE workers had yet to receive a GSA laptop, indicating that some connected to government systems using their own devices.
Musk’s authority to do this
Although many of Musk’s actions or intended actions, such as shutting down Treasury payments or eliminating USAID, might be questionable legally, his authority to gain access to unclassified information appears unlimited under an executive order Trump signed to implement DOGE’s agenda.