A team under Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has reportedly been allowed access to the US Treasury Department's payment system.
Shortly after being sworn in as the 47th President of the US, Donald Trump signed off on an executive order 'establishing and implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency"' (DOGE) - a temporary organization headed up by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
And on Friday (January 31), newly appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly signed off on the access allowing a team which operates under DOGE to oversee the Treasury's payment system.
The sign off
The acting Treasury Secretary David A. Lebryk resigned from his position and on January 28, Bessent was sworn in as the 79th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, the Washington Post reports.
Treasury operations are usually overseen by someone who doesn't hold a political position however, according to five people reported as being 'familiar with the change' - as per The New York Times - newly appointed Bessent signed off on giving representatives of DOGE to oversee the Treasury's payment functions.
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The Economic Times details this representative as being Silicon Valley executive Tom Krause and Krause's team is reported as operating under DOGE.
What the Treasury payment system controls
The Treasury's payment system controls payments such as Social Security benefits, Medicare and tax refunds.
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A letter from Senator Ron Wyden to Secretary Bessent explained: "The Bureau of the Fiscal Service's payment systems control the flow of more than $6 trillion in annual payments to households, businesses and other entities nationwide.
"These payment systems process more than a billion payments annually and are responsible for the distribution of Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, payments to federal employees and contractors, including competitors of Musk-owned companies and thousands of other functions."
Response to the news
Senator Wyden's letter labeled the reports that Musk and DOGE 'attempted to gain access to systems that control payments to millions of American citizens' as 'disturbing'.
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It continued: "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."
Senator Elizabeth Warren has echoed similar thoughts, noting: "It’s alarming that Elon Musk is attempting to gain access to to the Federal Government’s critical payment system, which is responsible for delivering Social Security checks, tax refunds, and Medicare benefits to Americans across the country."
Former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew also argued the 'American people should not have to worry about political interference when it comes to receiving Social Security and other payments the fiscal service makes'.
"And as the world’s reserve currency, it is crucial to maintain confidence around the globe that the US Government will make timely payments on its obligations," he resolved.
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UNILAD has contacted the US Department of the Treasury and representatives of DOGE for comment.
Poppy Bilderbeck