Comment from Lorthioir, Charlotte

Ref: Docket No. TREAS-DO-2026-0464 Privacy Act Exemptions Dear Administrator, My name is Charlie Lorthioir and I am writing to you as a concerned citizen. I urge you to abandon the proposed rule to exempt the “Department of the Treasury, Treasury .032—Federal Program Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Tip Intake and Referral Records” system of records from provisions of the Privacy Act pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(2). There needs to be transparency into any investigations of federal fraud and abuse, especially given the track record of overinflated claims and fraud and abuse by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as well as their repeated privacy, security, and regulatory violations, including the Privacy Act of 1974. There are at least 12 lawsuits that I am aware of filed against DOGE for violating the Privacy Act of 1974: •Alliance for Retired Americans v. Bessent (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00313[27] •American Civil Liberties Union v. Social Security Administration (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-01217[28] •American Federation of Government Employees v. Office of Personnel Management (S.D.N.Y), 1:25-cv-01237[29] •American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations v. Department of Labor (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00339[30] •American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO v. Social Security Administration (D. Md.) 1:25-cv-00596,[31] appealed to the 4th Cir., 25-1411,[32] appealed to the Supreme Court, Social Security Administration v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, 24A1063[33] •American Federation of Teachers v. Bessent (D. Md.), 8:25-cv-00430,[34] appealed to the Fourth Circuit, 25-1282[35] •Center for Taxpayer Rights v. Internal Revenue Service (D.D.C), 1:25-cv-00457[36] •Electronic Privacy Information Center v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management (E.D.V.A.) 1:25-cv-00255[37] •Morris v. Trump (D. Md.), 1:25-cv-00435[38] •National Treasury Employees Union v. Vought (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00380[39] •Nemeth-Greenleaf v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00407[40] •State of New York v. Donald J. Trump (S.D.N.Y.), 1:25-cv-01144, For the Department of Treasury (DOT) to request the entire Program Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Tip Intake and Referral Records system be exempt from the Privacy Act of 1974 on account there may potentially be material be compiled for law enforcement purposes is an incredibly irresponsible stance and overreach of the law. This is blatantly an attempt by the Trump administration to limit oversight into their illegal use of federal data and to avoid providing evidence of their baseless fraud claims. There have been numerous instances of DOGE falsely labeling DEI initiatives and left-leaning policies as fraudulent federal spending. The proposed rule would give the current administration more leeway into slashing federal initiatives they don’t approve of, even if the funding is Congressionally-approved. It is imperative that the DOT reject the proposed rule, otherwise federal agencies will continue to have their operations upended by political meddling under allegations of fraud. The justification for exempting this system of records from the Privacy Act is not sufficient given the track record of illegal activities performed by DOGE and the current presidential administration. There needs to be assurances to the American public that the DOT is not creating a database that compiles the sensitive information of U.S. citizens from multiple federal agencies. The DOT needs to ensure that American citizens and federal workers can request access to and amend the information the DOT collects in this record system and that they receive the consent of each individual to have their information disclosed across system. The DOT also needs to update the Federal Register with information about this record system. I am deeply concerned that exempting this Federal Program Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Tip Intake and Referral Records system from the Privacy Act that the DOT will exceed their legal authority and risk the sensitive data of all Americans. I am personally stressed about how my own personal information, including social security number and bank account information, may be accessed by unqualified members of DOT task force on unsecured equipment given the past actions of DOGE and other federal employees. Abuse of this information can financially devastate Americans, people could lose their savings or have their credit scores nuked, limiting their ability to apply for loans and mortgages. This is potentially life-altering sensitive information that needs to continue to be subject to regulations under the Privacy Act of 1974. I encourage you to uphold the reporting and transparency standards that would prevent the abuse of fraud allegations and sensitive personal information. Thank you, Charlie Lorthioir