Why Musk's access to the Treasury payment system is so dangerous
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Granting Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency access to the Treasury’s payment systems is “as dangerous as it gets,” critics have warned. Last week President Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly gave DOGE representatives - whom nobody elected or have little oversight - access to the internal federal payment system that disperses trillions of dollars each year, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, the New York Times first reported. open image in gallery President Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly gave DOGE representatives access to the internal federal payment system that disperses trillions of dollars each year, including Social Security and Medicare benefits Warnings about Musk’s control of the system follow the departure of a long-time Treasury official, who reportedly resisted allowing DOGE personnel access to the department’s payment system. Fellow Democratic senator Ron Wyden, a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance, also accused Musk of “politically-motivated meddling.” “I am deeply concerned that following the federal grant and loan freeze earlier this week, these officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment systems to illegally withhold payments to any number of programs,” Wyden said in a statement.
I’m a federal worker. You have no idea how much harm Musk and DOGE are doing.
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