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Elon Musk’s government efficiency gained access to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development System, which includes secret personal information about hundreds of thousands of housing discrimination victims, including domestic violence victims.
Access to the HUD Enforcement Management System, or a system called HEMS, is usually strictly restricted as it contains medical records, financial files, social security numbers and other documents that may list personal information. Masu. Doge asked for access, and Hud confirmed that last week, according to information reviewed by Propublica and two officials familiar with the issue.
This is just the latest collection of sensitive personal information Doge has tried to access in recent weeks. They also sought to enter the Treasury payment system, seeking information about individual taxpayer data held by the IRS and information about recipients of Social Security benefits. The stated mission of Doge is to modernize government technology and reduce excessive or inappropriate spending. President Donald Trump’s management argues that Doge needs to “directly access” such systems to eliminate “waste, fraud and abuse.”
Doge’s data collection moves at some agencies have led to strong pushbacks, including lawsuits over alleged privacy violations and opposition from career staff who resigned or retired after an access request. The judges have temporarily blocked Doge from accessing records at the Ministry of Education, Personnel Management and the Ministry of Finance. And in the face of resistance, Doge agreed to only display taxpayer data anonymized by the IRS.
There are few records of the HUD system, few edited or anonymized records, and many contain deep personal material about those accused or accused of housing discrimination. Domestic Violence Case Files can list addresses that survivors have moved to for safety. Harassment cases can include detailed descriptions of sexual assault. Disability cases can include detailed medical records. Loan discrimination files may feature credit reports and bank statements. The names of the witnesses who provided information about the landlord accused of discrimination are also found on the file.
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HUD enforces many civil rights laws, including the Fair Housing Act and the Violence Against Women and the Disability Act. Such laws collectively prohibit housing discrimination based on race, gender, place of origin, disability, or other characteristics.
A HUD official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation said Doge’s access to HEMS violates the privacy rights of discriminatory victims and is potentially at risk if information is incorrect or leaked He expressed concern that it could be possible.
This episode is one of many robust HUDs, and the Trump administration is reportedly considering a 50% cut to its workforce of nearly 10,000 people. According to unconfirmed forecasts that are widely circulating among HUD employees and viewed by Propublica, fair housing and equal opportunity offices fighting housing discrimination could cut approximately 500 staff by up to 76% There is.
Civil liberty advocates have expressed an alarm about access to HUD data, saying Doge could violate privacy laws. “It’s difficult to understand why a system dedicated to civil rights complaints has any impact on sectors that are seeking inefficiency in government spending,” said senior policy advisor to the American Civil Liberties Union. Cody Venzke said.
Venzke suggested that Doge could use HEMS data as a basis for extending enforcement of housing discrimination. “There is deep concern that Doge will shut down programs the administration disagrees with, rather than identifying government inefficiencies,” he said.
John Davisson, head of litigation at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which has been suing access to Doge and other federal agencies and Doge, said the department “cannot access the bonds and systems under false pretenses identifying fraud or abuse.” They claimed they got it, but what’s actually happening is that Doge is trying to control these databases and direct federal agencies’ activities.”
A spokesman for HUD, The White House and Doge did not respond to requests for comment (including questions about Doge’s planning hem).
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HUD’s Fair Housing Office surveys about 8,000 people each year and receives approximately 8,000 housing discrimination allegations or investigations of approximately 8,000 people each year, and transfers them to state or local agencies. These studies can last months or years and lead to financial settlements, compliance oversight and policy reforms by landlords, mortgage lenders, local zoning staff and homeowners associations.
Access to the hem is typically limited to fair housing staff, HUD lawyers and auditors, and state and local investigators. However, Doge requested an entry, and last week granted read-only access to Michael Mirski, who had HUD’s email address last week, which housing agency officials identified as affiliated with DOGE in internal discussions. I did. Mirski did not respond to requests for comment.
Doris Burke contributed to his research.