WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report in April 2026 stating that detailees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) did not access IT systems at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) between April 16 and July 25, 2025. The NLRB's Office of the Inspector General opened an investigation into whistleblower allegations in May 2025.

The investigation followed a whistleblower complaint filed by federal IT staffer Dan Berulis with Congress on April 14, 2025. Berulis alleged that DOGE members accessed and potentially exfiltrated sensitive information from the NLRB. According to the complaint, "DOGE officials required the highest level of access and unrestricted access to internal systems." The complaint also stated that DOGE officials were to be given "tenant owner" level accounts with unrestricted permission to read, copy, and alter data.

The GAO report, titled "National Labor Relations Board Detailees Did Not Access IT Systems Between April 16 and July 25, 2025," indicated that the NLRB deleted team member accounts for system access in August 2025 after the agreement to detail DOGE staff had expired. GAO officials stated they could not confirm NLRB staff accounts regarding DOGE access levels because the associated account information had been deleted. Jessica Baxter, a spokesperson for the GAO, said the agency "stands behind our findings and our approach to conducting this review, including our title, which accurately reflects our findings." Baxter added, "Our work is always nonpartisan, independent, and fact-based and follows a rigorous quality assurance process." She also stated that the dates covered in the GAO report were chosen to overlap with the investigation conducted by the NLRB's inspector general.

Michael Duff, a professor at Saint Louis University School of Law and a former NLRB employee, commented on the deletion of data. He said he was "aware of no legitimate reason" for the NLRB to delete the DOGE members' data. Duff added that the action was "irregular and it is almost certainly contrary to practice." Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal wrote in an April 2026 statement that they sought answers to determine if the decision to drop the case may have been based on political considerations. The senators referenced "Musk's extraordinary financial support for President Trump in the 2024 election, his substantial influence in the Trump Administration and interest in the NLRB's work as head of [DOGE]." Berulis stated his car brakes were cut after he filed the whistleblower complaint. The whistleblower complaint also alleged that on or about March 6, 2025, the naming structure of at least one account suggested it might have been created and later deleted for DOGE use in the NLRB's cloud systems. The General Records Schedule requires records from systems needing special accountability for access to be kept for six years. The Electronic Official Personnel Folders and the Federal Personnel and Payroll System contain the personal information of federal workers.