FATIMA HUSSEIN

Demonstrators gather outside of the Edward A. Garmatz United States District Courthouse in Baltimore, on Friday, March 14, 2025, before a hearing regarding the Department of Government Efficiency's access to Social Security data. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Social Security in-person identity checks opposed by advocates and retirees alike
The Social Security Administration’s plan to require in-person identity checks for millions of new and existing recipients has drawn ire from lawmakers, advocacy groups and program recipients who are concerned that the government is placing barriers in front of people seeking to access their benefit
 
Demonstrators gather outside of the Edward A. Garmatz United States District Courthouse in Baltimore, on Friday, March 14, 2025, before a hearing regarding the Department of Government Efficiency's access to Social Security data. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Social Security Administration to require in-person identity checks for new and existing recipients
In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures.
 
IRS Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler, right, and IRS Special Agent Gary Shapley, appear before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee during a hearing to argue that the Justice Department interfered with a yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden, at the Capitol in Washington, July 19, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
IRS agents who investigated Hunter Biden given promotions at the Treasury Department
Two IRS whistleblowers who testified about Hunter Biden’s taxes are getting promotions. Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler have both been given new roles as senior advisers to the Treasury Department.
 
The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
IRS swaps its chief counsel for a lawyer friendly with DOGE, AP sources say
The Internal Revenue Service’s acting chief counsel, William Paul, has been removed from his role at the agency and replaced by Andrew De Mello, an attorney in the chief counsel’s office who is deemed supportive of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to two people familiar wit
 
The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
A government program made tax filing free and more efficient. Musk and DOGE may get rid of it anyway
The fate of the IRS Direct File program remains unclear as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency cleave their way through the federal bureaucracy.
 
A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Unions ask court to stop DOGE from accessing Social Security data of millions of Americans
A group of labor unions are asking a federal court for an emergency order to stop Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the sensitive Social Security data of millions of Americans.
 
The State House is seen from Capitol Park, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Maine babies will get Social Security numbers in hospital after Trump admin directive condemned
The acting head of the Social Security Administration says he rescinded and apologized for an order that would have required Maine parents to register their newborns for Social Security numbers at a federal office rather than the hospital.
 
The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
The IRS is drafting plans to cut as much as half of its 90,000-person workforce, AP sources say
The IRS is drafting plans to try to cut its workforce of roughly 90,000 people in half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts, according to two people familiar with the situation and not authorized to speak on the record.
 
The U.S. Department of the Treasury building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Treasury ends enforcement of business ownership database meant to stop shell company formation
The U.S. Treasury Department says it will not enforce a Biden-era small business rule intended to curb money laundering and shell company formation.
 
A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Social Security Administration could cut up to 50% of its workforce
The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000 — and the final reduction in force number could be as high as 50%, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans who are not authorized to speak publicly.
 
An Israeli and U.S. flag are reflected on a conference table at the Pentagon, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich will meet with Treasury Secretary Bessent in Washington
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will head to Washington in the coming days to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and discuss economic and political cooperation.
 
A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Social Security says higher payments are on the way for millions of former public workers
More than 3.2 million Social Security recipients who received pensions from their time as teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public service jobs will see an immediate boost in their benefits.
 
The U.S. Department of the Treasury building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
US imposes more sanctions on Iranian oil trade after Trump calls to drive exports ‘to zero’
The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions on dozens of people and oil tankers across China, the United Arab Emirates, India and other jurisdictions for allegedly helping to finance Iran and its support for militant groups that launch attacks against the U.S. and its allies.
 
The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
IRS layoffs could hurt revenue collection and foil efforts to go after rich tax dodgers, experts say
Experts say the layoffs of roughly 7,000 IRS probationary workers likely mean the end of the agency’s plans to go after high-wealth tax dodgers and could spell disaster for revenue collections.
 
The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
IRS plans to lay off 7,000 probationary workers beginning Thursday, AP source says
The IRS plans to lay off roughly 7,000 workers in Washington and around the country beginning Thursday.
 
A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
New Social Security chief contradicts claims that millions of dead people are getting payouts
The new head of the Social Security Administration says deceased centenarians are “not necessarily receiving benefits.”
 
A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Tens of millions of dead people aren’t getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims
The Trump administration is falsely claiming tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving improper Social Security payments.
 
A Social Security card is displayed Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Social Security head steps down over DOGE access of recipient information: AP sources
The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner has stepped down from her role at the agency over Department of Government Efficiency requests to access Social Security recipient information.
 
The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Elon Musk’s DOGE seeks access to taxpayer data at IRS: AP sources
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to troves of sensitive taxpayer data at the IRS. That’s according to two people familiar with the inner workings of the plan who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
 
The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen. May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season
The IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season, according to two sources familiar with the agency’s plans, and cuts could come as soon as next week.
 
People protest during a rally outside the Treasury Department in Washington, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Treasury watchdog begins audit of Musk DOGE team’s access to the US government’s payment system
The Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General says it’s launching an audit of the security controls for the federal government’s payment system.
 
Karim Ahmed Khan, International Criminal Court chief prosecutor, speaks during a news conference in Khartoum, Sudan, Aug. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali, File)
US hits international court’s top prosecutor with sanctions after Trump’s order
The U.S. has sanctioned the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor. Thursday’s move follows up on President Donald Trump’s order last week targeting the court over its investigations of Israel.
 
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks to employees at the Department of Homeland Security, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Republicans once railed against armed IRS agents. Now they want them for immigration enforcement
For years, Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have railed against the IRS and its cadre of armed agents. Now the administration has big plans for them: It wants the agents to assist with immigration enforcement.
 
The U.S. Department of the Treasury building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Russian cybercrime network targeted for sanctions across US, UK and Australia
The U.S., U.K. and Australia have sanctioned a Russian web-hosting services provider and two Russian men who administer the service in support of Russian ransomware syndicate LockBit.
 
Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
DOGE’s access to Treasury data risks US financial standing and raises security worries, experts warn
The Department of Government Efficiency’s embed into the federal government has raised a host of concerns, transforming a debate over how to cut government waste into a confrontation over privacy rights and the nation’s financial standing in the world.
 
Elon Musk speaks at a presidential inauguration event on behalf of President-elect Donald Trump in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Democrats ask for an investigation into DOGE’s access to Treasury’s payment systems
Democratic lawmakers are seeking a Treasury Department investigation of the access that Elon Musk’s team was given to the government’s payment system.
 
Elon Musk listens as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
DOGE was tasked with stopping Treasury payments to USAID, AP sources say
Officials working with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency sought access to the Treasury Department payment system to stop money from flowing to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
 
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks after being sworn in by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington, as President Donald Trump looks on. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump’s Justice Department ends Biden-era task force aimed at seizing assets of Russian oligarchs
The Trump administration’s Justice Department has disbanded a Biden-era program aimed at seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs as a means to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
 
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appears for an interview with FOX Business Network's Larry Kudlow in the Washington bureau of FOX News, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Moriah Ratner)
US imposes sanctions on network that helps ship Iranian oil to China
The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on a network of more than a dozen people and firms that are accused of facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China.
 
Treasury Union Employees president Doreen Greenwald speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
IRS workers involved in 2025 tax season can’t take buyout until after the taxpayer filing deadline
IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season will not be allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until after the taxpayer filing deadline. That’s according to a letter sent Wednesday to all IRS employees.
 
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