On April 14, 2025, Dan Berulis, an IT staffer, blew the whistle on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), alleging they accessed and possibly exfiltrated sensitive information from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The ensuing scandal saw the NLRB’s Office of the Inspector General open a probe, only to find that key digital records had been deleted shortly after DOGE members left the agency.

The Government Accountability Office's report, published in April 2026, covers the period immediately following Berulis' complaint but omits pre-complaint activity. More ominously, it states that the accounts of DOGE team members were deleted, leaving no means to verify their activities or access levels at the NLRB.

The NLRB enforces laws concerning unions and investigates unfair labor practices, granting it access to sensitive data on whistleblowers, trade secrets, and investigative materials. Berulis reports that DOGE officials were granted ‘tenant owner’ level accounts—essentially unrestricted access—which is beyond normal agency permissions.

With no records to prove or disprove their claims, the GAO's findings raise more questions than answers. The NLRB declined comment, as did former DOGE members Justin Fox, Nate Cavanaugh, and Jordan Wick. Tesla and SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, were subjects of NLRB investigations, adding a layer of complexity to any potential political motivations behind these events.

The General Records Schedule mandates that records from systems containing sensitive data be kept for six years and cannot be destroyed until pending FOIA requests are resolved. Yet the NLRB deleted DOGE’s records quickly, sparking concerns over compliance with this law.