Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had an interesting exchange on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday when host Dana Bash asked her about Elon Musk’s involvement with the federal government. Specifically, Bash wanted to know if Americans could feel okay with Musk, whose DOGE group is a White House initiative not approved by Congress, having access to sensitive data from FEMA, which is meant to help disaster victims.
Noem defended Musk, saying that he had been vetted by former President Trump: “The president has authorized him to have access to that.”
Bash then asked if this wasn’t a shift for MAGA supporters, who had been furious with Hillary Clinton in 2016 over her private email server used during her time as Secretary of State. Bash pointed out that Republicans used to worry about the government, especially people who weren’t elected, having access to personal data.
Noem responded, “Well, we can’t trust our government anymore.”
Bash, surprised, shot back, “But you are the government now.”
A visibly confused Noem responded, “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying,” before stumbling through an explanation, claiming that Musk had”gone through the processes to make sure that he has the authority” to access the data and systems.
However, Noem’s defense of Musk didn’t sit well with critics. Musk’s DOGE team has already made big changes to government agencies like the Department of Education and USAID, even shutting them down or trying to radically transform them. Democrats, who have been trying to get answers from DOGE officials, have faced resistance when they’ve attempted to enter agencies’ facilities in Washington, D.C.
With rumors swirling and more headlines about DOGE’s secretive efforts, pressure is mounting on Democratic leaders to step up. Meanwhile, according to Trump, Musk plans to expand his program-cutting work at the Pentagon, looking for “hundreds of billions of dollars” in waste, fraud, and misuse.
In Washington, federal workers are growing anxious. Social media platforms are filled with fear as people report losing their jobs, with many more worrying they could be next.
Republicans, however, seem pleased with the changes, even mocking various federal programs while the Trump administration works to dismantle parts of the U.S. government. At the state level, some Democrats have had success in the courts, getting judges to stop DOGE from accessing private information about Americans. Just this Saturday, a federal judge ruled that DOGE personnel had to stop accessing sensitive systems at the U.S. Treasury and delete any data they had taken.
Watch the clip below from CNN.
BASH: I remember a time when Republicans were very careful about the government having access to personal data
NOEM: Well, we can't trust the government anymore
BASH: You are the government pic.twitter.com/xRh4Q3VINk
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 9, 2025
