American billionaire Elon Musk and his government efficiency team have gained access to the US Treasury Department’s payment system, which has unlocked an administrative deadlock that lasted several days. This was reported by The New York Times.
Musk, who heads the new Department of Government Effectiveness(DOGE), was tasked by President Donald Trump with exposing fraud and waste in government. He sought to gain access to the system used to distribute federal funds, but his attempts were met with resistance from Deputy Treasury Secretary David Lebrick. The official was placed on leave and later resigned. On Friday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave Musk’s team full access to the system.
According to The New York Times, the Treasury’s payments system processes more than $6,000 billion in transactions a year, providing payments to millions of Americans through Social Security, tax refunds and other federal benefits.
Democrats immediately reacted to the news. Senator Ron Wyden said on Bluesky that Musk and his team had gained full control of the system, including pensions,Medicare, and contracts with government contractors, including Musk’s own companies.
“Finance Minister Bessent has granted the DOGE team full access to the payment system. This includes all government payments, from social security to contracts with contractors, including those competing with Musk’s companies. Absolutely everything,” Wyden wrote.
In an open letter to Bessent, the senator expressed concern that political motives could lead to manipulation of government payments, which poses a threat to US economic stability.
At the same time, Musk, commenting on the situation in his post on X (formerly Twitter), said that some officials at the Ministry of Finance had been instructed to approve payments to “fraudulent or terrorist organisations”. However, he did not provide any evidence to support his claims, as Reuters journalists emphasised.
According to EFE, there is no confirmation yet whether Musk’s team has already started blocking or reviewing any payments. Nevertheless, the move is causing significant political tension and concerns about possible political interference in the country’s financial system.
