Neal, senators seek answers on Trump's 'alarming' acts Letter probes Musk team's possible 'unlawful' access

The Berkshire Eagle

Can a sternly worded letter or a legislative maneuver stop a billionaire from intruding into federal agencies and swiping your personal data?

The members of the Berkshires' all-Democratic Congressional delegation are working those strategies as a constitutional crisis over the power of the executive branch continues to play out.

But their position as the minority party - by a margin of three members in both the House and Senate - has allowed President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to carry on, so long as Republican members toe President Donald Trump's line.

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Rep. Richard Neal, the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, co-signed a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Feb. 5, asking whether a team of hackers reporting to Elon Musk, have gained "unlawful and unjust access to confidential taxpayer data protected by Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code," and with it the power to disrupt 2025 tax refunds.

The confidential data in the Treasury's payment system contains taxpayers' names, addresses, Social Security numbers and the amount of tax refunds.

A Neal spokesperson said Bessent has yet to respond.

Meanwhile, numerous lawsuits brought by labor unions, advocacy groups and attorneys general, including Massachusetts AG Andrea Joy Campbell, have sought to stop Musk's U.S. Treasury raid and several Trump executive orders halting grant funding, ending birthright citizenship and barring access to gender- affirming care.

Gaining unauthorized access to income tax records is by law a federal felony, punishable by a fine or five years in prison.

In addition to supporting legal challenges to Musk's actions, Neal and his Democratic colleagues "are exploring every tool available to them," including calling for Congressional hearings, Neal spokesperson Jack Chamberland said.

"As an institutionalist, Congressman Neal is a firm believer in the power of our democratic system, which includes a system of checks and balances. Members of Congress do not serve under Presidents; they serve with Presidents, which means the President's power is not unchecked," Chamberland said.

Musk, who was neither elected nor appointed to a government position, heads the private Department of Government Efficiency.

"It is both unclear and unsettling why DOGE would be privy to this sensitive payment system and confidential taxpayer information," reads the letter Neal signed. "It is alarming that DOGE will decide whether and when hard-working American families will receive their tax refunds and may even pick and choose among them."

Specifically, the letter seeks specifics on how many times and who sought confidential information, and how many taxpayers, both individuals and businesses, were affected.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has also sent a letter to Bessent, seeking clarity on his role in providing Musk and his team access to Treasury payment systems.

"We've heard from constituents across the Common-wealth who are rightly concerned about Donald Trump and Elon Musk's serious abuses of power," a Warren spokesperson said. "Senator Warren is fighting back every step of the way, and our office is doing everything we can to help constituents."

Warren was also part of a 30-hour effort by Senate Democrats, including Sen. Edward Markey to delay the nomination of Russell Vought as Trump's budget director. Markey did not return The Eagle's requests for comment on this story.

Vought, a Christian nationalist and an author of the Project 2025 conservative plan to radically remake government, was eventually confirmed along a 53-47 party line vote. Within days, he closed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's headquarters and ordered a halt to all supervisory activities.

On Wednesday, Markey, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, was among Congressional Democrats denied a meeting with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and representatives of DOGE, which is not a U.S. government department or agency.

In remarks delivered in front of the Treasury in Washington, Warren focused on Musk's lack of authority to act and pledged to fight him.

"Not one Democrat in America voted for Elon Musk. Not one Republican in America voted for Elon Musk. Not one Independent in America voted for Elon Musk. Not one Libertarian voted for Elon Musk. Damn, not one vegetarian in America voted for Elon Musk," Warren said. "And yet, Elon Musk is seizing the power that belongs to the American people. We are here to fight back. "

Meanwhile, Americans want answers - and the phones at Congress are ringing off the hook.

The New York Times reported that Congress' phone system is cracking under the weight of millions of phone calls, from constituents either urging a change in course or rallying members to hold the line. The Senate phone system was receiving 1,600 calls per minute; it usually handles 40 calls a minute, according to a source speaking with the Times on condition of anonymity.

"Our office's call volume has increased significantly," Chamberland said of Neal's office. "I would estimate that 75 percent of calls across all three offices [Neal, Warren and Markey] are constituents calling with concerns about actions taken by the new administration during its first three weeks."

While Musk's access to confidential tax information is chief among callers' concerns, tariffs, Trump's attempted pause in federal funding, and the future of USAID and and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau are also among callers' concerns, Chamber-land said.

Reach Greg Sukiennik at [email protected] or at 413-496-6249.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, is among lawmakers asking Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for answers about Elon Musk's acquisition of private tax information. BEN GARVER - THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE