Musk’s DOGE granted access to US Treasury payments system

Representatives from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been granted access to the federal payment system, a major step in their efforts to monitor and potentially limit government spending.

The decision, made by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday, provides Musk’s team with a powerful tool to review federal payments and identify what they deem as wasteful expenditures.

According to The New York Times, the decision was met with internal resistance from a senior Treasury official who opposed granting access to Musk’s team.

The official, who had been vocal about his concerns, was placed on leave and subsequently retired on Friday following the dispute.

The federal payment system is responsible for processing trillions of dollars in government transactions annually, and access to it aligns with the Trump administration’s broader push to reduce government spending.

Musk, who was personally tasked by President Trump with identifying and eliminating unnecessary expenditures, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday to allege that the Treasury Department has been approving fraudulent payments without oversight.

“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,” Musk posted.

While DOGE is not an official government agency, it was established by Trump via executive order to review federal spending and reduce inefficiencies.

The team has been actively requesting access to financial and data systems across multiple federal agencies. Trump’s executive order explicitly directed agency heads to grant DOGE access to “software systems and IT systems” to support their efforts.

The Treasury Department, which processed over $5 trillion in payments during the 2023 fiscal year, plays a crucial role in distributing government funds.

Typically, individual agencies are responsible for ensuring that payments are legitimate before they reach Treasury for processing. However, Musk’s team is now utilizing its access to scrutinize these payments directly.

The DOGE representatives who received access were officially designated as Treasury employees and underwent extensive background checks before obtaining security clearance.

Despite gaining access, they do not yet have operational control over the system, and no payments have been blocked so far.

Sources familiar with the matter told The New York Times that the team’s primary focus is on reviewing payment data rather than immediately halting transactions.

Treasury Department attorneys have also signed off on the arrangement, requiring that any changes to the payment process undergo legal and procedural review.

The decision to grant Musk’s team access to such a critical financial system has sparked controversy, with former officials warning that oversight of payments should remain the responsibility of individual agencies rather than external figures.

Critics argue that the move could set a precedent for political influence over routine financial operations. However, supporters of the initiative believe it is a necessary step toward reducing government waste and ensuring taxpayer dollars are used appropriately.

As DOGE expands its influence, it remains to be seen how Musk’s team will leverage its new access and whether its findings will lead to significant changes in federal spending policies.

By Max Walker

Max Walker is an independent journalist covering politics, corruption, crime, and the economy.

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