Democratic congressional leaders Thursday unveiled a bill aimed at pushing back against what they called improper snooping by aides to billionaire Elon Musk, who’s been enlisted by President Donald Trump to slash the federal budget.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the new Taxpayer Data Protection Act would bar Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency from gaining access to Americans’ sensitive personal information held by the Treasury Department and other federal government agencies.

Calling Musk’s moves a “power grab,” Jeffries said Democrats are moving to rein in the man he called Trump’s “unelected, unaccountable, out-of-control billionaire puppet master.”

“Why do Elon Musk and his minions need access to the names, Social Security numbers, addresses, birthdates and bank account information of millions of Americans?” the Brooklyn Democrat added.

Musk has shaken up Washington by sending DOGE investigators to comb through Treasury Department files and payment systems in what he frames as a fearless effort to root out fraud and wasteful spending.

Democrats call it a partisan fishing expedition that could expose ordinary people’s sensitive information including government payments.

The opposition party and privacy activists are pushing back on several fronts.

A judge issued an order temporarily blocking Treasury officials from opening some files to DOGE, which is not an official government agency.

Democrats are also pressing for hearings and investigations into how DOGE investigators, some of whom do not have security clearances, are being allowed such wide access into normally private files.

Bessent shrugged off the concerns as partisan whining from Democrats hoping to avoid deep cuts in government programs.

“When you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy,” Bessent said.

The Data Protection Act would mandate that only people with appropriate security clearances and training can access the Treasury Department’s payment and receipt system. They must sign a commitment to uphold ethics concerns and have no conflicts of interest.

It would also require Treasury officials to notify Congress and the public be notified of unauthorized access, including possible national security risks or interference with Social Security and other payments to everyday Americans.

The bill is a long shot given that Republicans control the House, albeit by only a slim three-vote margin.

But Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., said he hopes to get a handful of GOP lawmakers to break ranks and send a strong message to Musk, who polls say is unpopular.

”I know they’re out there, I know they’ve got the patriotism,” he said. “They’ve just got to show the courage."

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