U.S. senator wants DOGE out of sensitive payment system for farmers
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, wants the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revoke high-level access granted to the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to a sensitive database that controls tens of billions of dollars in payments and loans to American farmers and ranchers.
In a letter first shared with NPR addressed to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, Baldwin writes “on behalf of Wisconsin farmers,” arguing that DOGE’s access to sensitive agricultural information is “an intrusion that not only breaches [farmers’] privacy, but also raises serious concerns about the future of USDA payments, our nation’s food security, and the consolidation of farmland and processing operations.”
While DOGE’s original figurehead, billionaire CEO Elon Musk, has left Washington amid an ongoing feud with President Trump, staffers linked to the government efficiency unit continue to embed inside U.S. federal agencies and policy processes.
Baldwin’s letter comes days after an exclusive investigation published by NPR revealed that one USDA staffer publicly tied to DOGE, Jordan Wick, recently got high-level access to what’s called the National Payment Service system, a database that controls subsidiary payments and loans issued to U.S. agricultural producers. The system is housed at the Farm Service Agency, a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The access granted to Wick, a level no other individual at USDA has, allows him to view highly sensitive financial and personal information stored in the system, as well as alter or cancel payments and loans with little oversight. That’s according to a source who provided access logs to NPR and requested anonymity, fearing retribution from the Trump administration.
Agricultural experts interviewed by NPR were not only worried about the possibility of intentional disruption by Wick or others but also the potential for mistakes or accidents made out of lack of familiarity with complex, often archaic USDA systems that could jeopardize farmers’ files and livelihoods.
While it may take time for impacts of any changes to that system to be noticed by farmers or USDA staffers, due to the complex and seasonal nature of the payments, the source notified NPR of one recent change. In the last few months, over 200 farmers’ accounts whose birthdates were likely mistakenly listed as 1900 were flagged. Their birthdates were voided, which could lead to their loans being canceled.
Meanwhile, DOGE staffers are actively reviewing certain farm loans and guarantees, despite having no stated background in agriculture or finance, while USDA loan officers are trained for years in the field. News of this review process quickly sparked outrage among some Senate Democrats, who argued in a separate letter sent on May 6 that “creating more red tape for customers who often have no other options for credit could prevent farmers from getting crops in the ground, animals fed, or cause a beginning farmer to miss out on the purchase of their first parcel of land.”
A spokesperson for the USDA confirmed to NPR that Wick and others on the “USDA Efficiency team,” who are fulltime USDA staffers, are “review[ing] many loans, guarantees, and payments” in an ongoing effort to fulfill Trump’s executive order on government efficiency. “These reviews are prompt and without undue delay to the program recipient,” they wrote in an emailed statement. The spokesperson continued on to say that Wick and others have an “unmatched skillset” that has allowed them to investigate fraud and identify potential national security concerns. The spokesperson didn’t identify any specific examples. USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Baldwin’s letter, though Rollins has previously told staff to give DOGE “full access and transparency.”
Baldwin, in her letter to Rollins, writes that “farmers share sensitive financial information with USDA when seeking loans or disaster assistance,” trusting that “only trained Farm Service Agency staff and senior USDA officials have had access to this data.”
She identifies the USDA employees linked to DOGE as an “unappointed and unelected group of Washington insiders with no accountability to farmers,” whom she argues “should not be in charge of delaying disaster relief checks or blocking contracts,” particularly at a time when farmers face “volatile market conditions” and “increasingly severe weather.”
Baldwin also shares her concern about DOGE’s track record of accessing sensitive information at other agencies, referencing another NPR investigation into a whistleblower account of DOGE potentially removing sensitive labor data from the National Labor Relations Board.
“Farmers deserve to know that their private information is protected and will not be exported for unauthorized, and potentially illegal uses,” she wrote. “In the wrong hands, sensitive data about our nation’s agricultural sector could be taken advantage of to exploit vulnerabilities in our food supply chains.”
“I urge you to take immediate steps to restore the public’s confidence in the security of USDA’s payment systems” and “rescind DOGE’s access to farmers’ private data as well as their involvement in payment and loan decisions,” Baldwin wrote.
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says ‘I’d rather die’ than use generative AI
Del Toro's new Frankenstein adaption reimagines Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains.
Democrats invited Republicans to a town hall. Here’s what happened
Imagine getting an invitation to a town hall from someone across the political aisle. That was the idea behind a recent event sponsored by the Calhoun County Democratic Committee. They asked their members to invite Republican friends in an effort to bridge the divide.
Anglican Church Archbishop accused of sexual misconduct
Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church of North America, faces of sexual harassment allegations. This marks the latest in a string of crises to rock the small, conservative denomination.
NBA coach Chauncey Billups, player Terry Rozier arrested in FBI gambling probe
Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, was investigated by the NBA in 2023 in connection with suspicious gambling activity on a game that he exited early.
Its the deadliest year for ICE in decades. As detentions rise, the trend may continue
There have been at least 20 deaths in ICE custody in 2025, the deadliest year since 2004. As the agency is ramping up hiring and increasing detentions, concerns remain about how to stop the trend.
In an era of techno-dystopia, Sudan Archives’ ‘The BPM’ imagines a liberated future
On her stunning new album The BPM, the multi-instrumentalist Sudan Archives explores the freedom of augmented reality and technology through the sounds of club music.