In a joint statement, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) accused Musk’s cost-cutting group of accessing NOAA’s computer systems. NOAA is charged with forecasting weather, monitoring atmospheric conditions and mapping the seas, among other things.
“Elon Musk and his DOGE hackers are ransacking their way through the federal government, unlawfully gaining unfettered access to Americans’ private information and gutting programs people depend on,” said Huffman and Lofgren, the top Democrats on the House Natural Resources and Science, Space and Technology committees, respectively.
“Now they have reached NOAA where they’re wreaking havoc on the scientific and regulatory systems that protect American families’ safety and jobs.”
Science Committee Democratic staff members told The Hill that they heard of the breach directly from people at NOAA and others in the community. An aide to Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said his office has confirmed DOGE staff entered NOAA’s Building 2 in Silver Spring, Md.
Meanwhile, Van Hollen wrote in a post on the social platform X that he was “hearing reports that Musk’s cronies are targeting NOAA — infiltrating key systems & locking out career employees.”
Read more at TheHill.com.