Elizabeth Warren Demands Probe Into Alleged Student Loan Data Breach Amid Push To Dismantle Education Department

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is calling for an independent investigation into the Department of Government Efficiency’s alleged access to sensitive student loan data, raising questions about privacy and security of federal education systems managing trillions in student debt.

What Happened: Warren requested the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General to review DOGE’s access to the agency’s internal federal student loan database, reported ABC News. “The full extent of DOGE’s role and influence at ED remains unknown,” Warren wrote in a letter obtained by ABC News. The Federal Student Aid systems handle a $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio for over 40 million borrowers.

Ten Democratic senators joined Warren’s request, saying the Education Department refused to disclose information about DOGE’s database access scope. The department cited “ongoing litigations” when declining to answer questions about data security measures and employee access protocols.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon testified that DOGE employees received standard agency access levels during their audit to identify waste and fraud. Warren’s separate investigation raised concerns about a DOGE employee whose database access was revoked, with questions remaining about other system privileges.

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Why It Matters: Warren’s concerns reflect broader scrutiny of DOGE operations. House Democrats previously alleged the agency is building an unlawful cross-agency master database, with whistleblowers reporting DOGE engineers consolidating sensitive federal data systems.

Warren is also part of a group of Senate democrats behind the Protecting Seniors’ Data Act of 2025, which would instruct the Government Accountability Office to conduct audits of all SSA systems accessed by DOGE staff.

Federal courts recently blocked Trump administration attempts to transfer student loan oversight from Education to Small Business Administration, maintaining current departmental structure. Despite DOGE’s claimed $150 billion savings target, federal spending increased $154 billion since Trump’s return to office.

Warren’s “Save Our Schools” campaign opposes administration efforts to dismantle the Education Department, citing potential consequences for borrowers as the agency faces staff reductions and operational changes.

Image via Shutterstock

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