A senior U.S. lawmaker revealed that Elon Musk’s representatives were given “full access” to a U.S. Treasury payments system responsible for distributing trillions of dollars to Americans annually. He raised concerns about the national security risk posed by Musk’s access to this system.
Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, shared on Bluesky on Saturday that sources informed his office that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted Musk’s team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), permission to access the sensitive Treasury system. This authorization followed a previous standoff where the Treasury’s top career official resigned after Musk’s team requested access.
Wyden highlighted that DOGE now has access to critical payments including Social Security, Medicare benefits, and payments to government contractors, which may compete directly with Musk’s companies.
The New York Times also reported that DOGE was granted access to the Treasury’s payment system. One of the representatives granted access is Tom Krause, CEO of Cloud Software Group, who did not respond to requests for comment. The Treasury spokesperson declined to comment.
Musk and his team have been actively involved in influencing U.S. federal government operations following President Trump’s return to office. Musk was tasked with implementing budget cuts immediately after the inauguration.
The Treasury’s payment system, overseen by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, disburses approximately $6 trillion in federal funds to households, including Social Security, Medicare benefits, and tax refunds. Access to this system is usually limited due to the sensitive nature of the personal information it contains about millions of Americans receiving federal payments.
Wyden emphasized in his letter to Bessent that any interference in the payments system could have severe consequences for the country and the economy.
Concerns were raised about Musk’s business ties to China posing cybersecurity risks and creating conflicts of interest that jeopardize national security. This comes after previous cyber intrusions linked to China targeted U.S. critical infrastructure and government systems.
DOGE’s investigations extend to other federal departments like the Office of Personnel Management, which handles human resources for the federal government.
Reuters reported that Musk’s representatives locked out career civil servants from computer systems containing personal data and human resources files of federal employees, following a similar breach in 2015 attributed to China.
