DOGE Under Fire Over ChatGPT Grant Cuts and Alleged Social Security Data Theft

Listeners, buckle up for the latest on the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, where bureaucracy isn't just barking mad—it's gone off the leash. Recent revelations paint a picture of chaos, AI blunders, and data scandals that have critics howling for accountability. Just this week, on March 7, a PRNewswire release from the American Council of Learned Societies exposed how DOGE wielded ChatGPT like a blunt axe to slash National Endowment for the Humanities grants. Discovery documents in a lawsuit by humanities groups like the American Historical Association and Modern Language Association reveal DOGE staff fed grant descriptions into the AI chatbot, flagging anything with words like "BIPOC," "LGBTQ," or "Tribal" as "DEI" waste. Projects axed included Holocaust documentaries, Italian American archives, Appalachian photo digitization, and Native American language preservation—even ones NEH staff deemed compliant. Acting NEH Chair Michael McDonald handed reins to DOGE without authority, bypassing Congress and using Signal for auto-deleting chats, violating the Federal Records Act. Plaintiffs decry First Amendment breaches, equal protection violations, and separation of powers overreach, seeking to restore millions in funding. Meanwhile, NPR reports on March 11 that the Social Security Administration's inspector general is probing anonymous claims a former DOGE engineer stole NUMIDENT and Death Master File databases—holding SSNs, births, and more for nearly every American—onto a personal thumb drive. The Washington Post broke the whistleblower story, alleging "God-level" access persisted post-employment, with plans to share at a private firm. TechCrunch echoed this on March 10, noting SSA denies it, but Democrats like Rep. Robert Garcia demand answers amid prior DOGE data leaks to political groups. Former SSA data chief Charles Borges warns of "generational consequences" if true. DOGE's efficiency drive? More like a mad dash into legal and ethical pitfalls, eroding trust in government safeguards. Thank you, listeners, for tuning in—subscribe for more updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.