05-14-2025
An IT specialist within the NLRB filed a protected whistleblower disclosure to Congress. He provided evidence that DOGE members accessed sensitive labor data, which showed anomalies such as missing log records and an increase in information leaving the agency. Labor law experts told NPR that sensitive information about unions, including ongoing legal cases and corporate secrets, may have been taken outside the agency. These experts stated that this information was irrelevant to agency efficiency or reducing costs. They expressed concern that private companies could abuse the information about legal strategies and competitors’ internal data.
Internal communications reveal that the DOGE members requested not to have their activities logged into the system. They seemed to try to cover their tracks by turning off any monitoring tools and manually deleting records of their access. The IT employees became particularly concerned when they noted suspicious log-in attempts from an IP address in Russia. The IT department launched a formal review of the security breach and the potentially illegal removal of personal information. IT asked for assistance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. One IT specialist then made a protected whistleblower disclosure to Congress. His disclosures are corroborated by internal documents (forensic data and records of conversations), which were reviewed by 11 technical experts across multiple government agencies and the private sector. DOGE has not shared the steps it took to protect private data with the NLRB’s IT department.
The NLRB stated that the agency has not granted DOGE access to its systems. Its investigation into the IT specialist’s concerns “determined that no breach of agency systems occurred.” A White House spokesperson said the government has been transparent about its efforts to have DOGE coordinate data sharing and eliminate waste within federal agencies, including the NLRB.