The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reportedly reviewing a request to grant a member of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to sensitive taxpayer records.
According to The New York Times and The Washington Post, the request—currently under evaluation—would allow DOGE officials to access classified IRS systems containing personal financial data, including tax returns and bank records.
One of these systems, the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), provides tax agency employees with detailed access to IRS accounts and banking information, the Post reported.
Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, defended the move, emphasizing the need to tackle government inefficiencies.
“Waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long,” Fields said.
“It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it.”
He added that DOGE would continue to expose fraud uncovered in federal agencies, stating:
“The American people deserve to know what their government has been spending their hard-earned tax dollars on.”
The DOGE team member reportedly in line for this unprecedented access is software engineer Gavin Kliger, a 26-year-old staffer at the Office of Personnel Management.
The New York Times reported that Kliger—one of six young programmers personally selected by Musk—was already working out of IRS headquarters last Thursday. He is expected to be named senior adviser to acting IRS Commissioner Doug O’Donnell, granting him broad oversight of the agency’s IT systems.
Kliger’s primary focus, according to the access request, is to provide engineering expertise and IT modernization consulting.
The move comes amid growing resistance to DOGE’s influence across federal agencies.
Nineteen state attorneys general have sued to block Trump administration policies allowing political appointees and “special government employees” access to Treasury Department payment systems.
The IRS is also preparing for major workforce reductions, with thousands of employees hired under Biden’s administration set to be laid off.
Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business he hopes to modernize IRS technology to improve collections, privacy, and customer service.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in the country who believes the IRS has reached its full potential in any of those areas,” Bessent said.
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