Stopping Fraud—or Silencing Freedom?

I am writing to express strong opposition to President Trump’s March 2025 executive order aimed at eliminating “information silos” across federal agencies. While billed as a measure to combat waste and fraud, this order strips away fundamental constitutional protections by allowing unchecked, unrestricted access to Americans’ personal data—without warrant, oversight, or due process. There are no meaningful guardrails in this order. It empowers “designated officials” to access any unclassified data across any agency or federally funded state program, including health records, financial data, housing applications, and more. In effect, it creates a sprawling federal dragnet capable of surveilling millions of Americans—without suspicion of a crime. This order violates multiple constitutional rights: • Fourth Amendment: The protection against unreasonable searches and seizures is gutted when government officials can access and cross-reference private data without a warrant or probable cause. • First Amendment: The chilling effect on free speech is profound. Americans critical of the government or politically active may be flagged, profiled, and quietly punished through bureaucratic “audits” or benefit suspensions. • Second Amendment: As shown in the example below, lawful gun owners can be targeted solely for their medical history—not for any action, but for a data profile that labels them a “risk.” Let me highlight a real-world scenario that illustrates how this power can—and will—be abused. John Smith, a 45-year-old Trump supporter in Texas, owns legal firearms and is prescribed a common antidepressant. Under this executive order, his health and gun ownership data are cross-referenced. Without a warrant, a federal agency red-flags him as a potential “threat.” Law enforcement arrives unannounced and confiscates his weapons, citing mental health risk—even though he’s never committed a crime. His business suffers due to the public fallout, and his mental health deteriorates further under pressure. This is not fraud prevention. This is soft authoritarianism under the guise of government efficiency. If we allow this kind of open-ended data sharing, no one is safe—not the activist, not the veteran, not the average citizen who dares to own guns and take medication. Rights are not preserved by promises. They are preserved by laws, limits, and oversight—none of which exist in this order. As a Texas Republican, I urge immediate reconsideration and reversal of this executive order. Transparency is important, but privacy, due process, and liberty must never be sacrificed at the altar of efficiency.