Conaway, Carbajal, Houlahan Introduce Legislation to Block DOGE from Accessing Veteran Data

Washington, D.C.-Today, Reps. Herb Conaway Jr., MD (D-NJ), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) introduced the VA DATA Act of 2025, which aims to prohibit DOGE from accessing veteran data at the VA and establish guidelines for special government employees regarding access to VA data.

"We are in truly unprecedented times, and since this Administration and Republicans are doing nothing to protect our veterans from Musk and DOGE, Democrats must step in," said Congressman Conaway. "Veterans have given so much to our country-they shouldn't be the target of a rogue, unelected bureaucrat who has already slashed benefits for both Americans and veterans. I'm proud to introduce this legislation because veterans deserve to have their data protected, and we must continue to stand against the overreach of Musk and DOGE."

"DOGE's actions at the VA are jeopardizing veterans' sensitive information," said Congressman Carbajal. "Those who risked their lives for our country shouldn't have to worry about their personal information being mishandled. Our bill will prevent DOGE from accessing veterans' data at the VA and put an end to their careless behavior."

"This Administration has proven time and again that they can't be trusted with information, classified or otherwise. Keep DOGE and Elon Musk out of the VA," said Congresswoman Houlahan.

Specifically, this legislation would:

• Prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from allowing the administrator of DOGE access to data held by the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding individual veterans.
• Restrict special government employees from accessing or extracting data in the possession of the Department of Veterans Affairs related to individual veterans for purposes other than commercial gain or any reason other than a government purpose authorized by the Secretary.
• In cases where a special government employee has access to VA systems, the Secretary shall ensure that, upon completion of their service, the special government employee:
• Returns all data owned by the Department (including original forms and any other relevant VA work products); and does not retain copies of veteran data.

For the full bill text click here.