The United States Treasury Department has granted billionaire Elon Musk and representatives of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to a significant federal payment system that manages trillions of dollars in government expenses.
At its core, the payment system is a checkbook for the entire federal government. It is run by career officials, and only a very small number of people are cleared to access the information. The system contains sensitive information about millions of Americans.
The DOGE team and Mr. Musk requested access to the payment system, creating tension within the Treasury Department. David Lebryk, the career official previously responsible for overseeing the operation, was placed on administrative leave last week after opposing the access request.
Mr. Musk commented on Lebryk’s departure from the Treasury on X, saying: “The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups. They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once.”
Changes to the payment system would have to be reviewed by the Treasury Department
Experts have stated that if Mr. Musk or the DOGE were to request changes to the federal payment system in question, they would not only face increased legal challenges but would also be subject to approval by Treasury Department officials.
Mr. Musk is expected to face these challenges because the money is approved by Congress and is managed internally by career officials in the department. The Legislative Branch holds the “Power of the Purse”, as a check on the Executive, according to Article 1, Section 9, and Clause 7 of the United States Constitution.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying: “politically-motivated meddling” in the payment systems “risks severe damage to our country and the economy.”
REPORTER: Why is it important for Elon Musk to have access to the payments systems at Treasury?
TRUMP: Well, he's got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good, and it's only if we agree with him pic.twitter.com/QFxGStrKTk
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 3, 2025
The letter added, “To put it bluntly, these payment systems simply cannot fail, and any politically motivated meddling in them risks severe damage to our country and the economy. 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.”
Decision Sparks Blowback
The Treasury’s decision to give Mr. Musk access to the payment system has sparked backlash. Rep. Melanie Stansbury from New Mexico’s first congressional district said on X, “Elon Musk is NOT an elected official, an appointee confirmed by the Senate, or even a legit fed. So why the hell has he been given access to fire federal employees, sensitive gov data, and federal payment systems.”
Other Congressional Democrats held a press conference outside the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters on Monday after an attempt was made to shut it down. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New Jersey has announced plans to hold the DOGE accountable. One of these actions will be to introduce a bill to prevent unlawful access to federal agencies.
Elon Musk is NOT:
– An elected official
– An appointee confirmed by the Senate
– Or even a legit fedSo why the hell has he been given access to fire federal employees, sensitive gov data, and federal payment systems.
He must be stopped.
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) February 3, 2025
Some of the data Elon Musk and the DOGE now have access to includes Social Security and Medicare customer payments.
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