On Wednesday, members of Congress addressed a letter urging the Trump administration to stop using any unapproved AI system in its attempt to reduce federal expenditure.
According to the report, the message, which was signed by almost 50 Democrats in the US House of Representatives, expressed concerns about the Department of Government Efficiency’s use of AI. Donald Trump, a Republican, established DOGE and gave billionaire Elon Musk the mission of reducing what they claim is fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal bureaucracy.
Although Democrats recognized AI’s promise to improve the U.S. government, they expressed worries about DOGE and its AI tools’ alleged employee monitoring and access to private information.
“These have the potential to undermine successful and appropriate AI adoption, and present serious security risks, self-dealing, and potential criminal liability if handled incorrectly,” the letter, which was led by Representatives Donald Beyer, Mike Levin, and Melanie Stansbury, stated.
It is reported that DOGE is heavily utilizing Grok AI technology from Musk’s business xAI, and Trump officials have stated that AI is being used to search for employee conversations deemed antagonistic to the administration.
A request for response was not immediately answered by the White House Office of Management and Budget, to which the Democrats directed their letter. Regarding Reuters’ reporting, the Environmental Protection Agency earlier stated that it was utilizing AI to increase EPA’s efficiency but not for “personnel decisions in concert with DOGE.”
In the letter, the House Democrats stated that the administration should stop using any AI systems that don’t comply with current legal requirements or haven’t undergone formal approval processes like FedRAMP.
They specifically asked OMB if the government had made use of technology driven by Musk’s xAI. They requested an explanation of the new software that the Trump administration had implemented, as well as details on how these tools adhered to certain legal requirements and whether they had different authorizations.
The Democrats argued in the letter that if Musk seeks additional contracts to establish himself as an important provider of government AI services, the potential conflicts of interest would worsen dramatically.
According to ethics regulations, Musk is not permitted to participate in governmental initiatives that would help his businesses because he is a special government employee.
In order to expedite the acquisition and implementation of AI in government, the Trump administration announced orders this month that require agencies to address the risks associated with any high-stakes applications of the technology, such as hiring and firing.
