Elon Musk’s aides take control of U.S. Treasury payment system, sparking security and economic worries
Kumar Shivam | Feb 03, 2025, 23:33 IST
( Image credit : TOIGLOBAL )
Elon Musk’s aides have taken control of the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment system, which manages trillions in transactions. This move, part of Trump’s "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), has raised concerns about security and economic risks. Critics, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, warn it could compromise sensitive data and increase the risk of financial instability. Musk promises to expose government fraud.
Elon Musk's aides have reportedly taken control of the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment system, which handles trillions of dollars in transactions every year. This has raised concerns among critics, according to reports. Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, is leading President Donald Trump’s efforts to cut federal spending through the newly created "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), AFP reported.
Musk posted on X (the platform he owns), saying, “The corruption and waste is being rooted out in real-time.”
Later, responding to a post about alleged payments to Lutheran charities, Musk stated that DOGE was "rapidly shutting down these illegal payments."
The Treasury’s payment system is a key part of the government’s financial infrastructure, managing the flow of money for Social Security, Medicare, federal salaries, and other critical payments—about $6 trillion annually.
Musk’s access to the system was approved by incoming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent after a career official was placed on administrative leave for refusing to hand over control. According to The Washington Post, the official later retired.
President Trump praised Musk as "a big cost-cutter," saying, "Sometimes we won't agree with it, and we may not always go where he wants to go. But I think he's doing a great job."
Wired was the first to report that Musk had placed a group of young aides, aged 19 to 24, in key government positions. These aides gained unprecedented access to the Treasury’s payment systems, which have traditionally been restricted to career employees. They were also reportedly stationed at the federal Office of Personnel Management, which recently sent out an email offering most employees the option to leave with about nine months of severance pay.
The move has raised alarms among Democratic lawmakers, who have expressed concerns about the potential risks of allowing political appointees to control the U.S. government’s financial systems. Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, called the move “extraordinarily dangerous.” In a letter to Bessent, she warned that handing control of such a sensitive system to Musk and his team of unqualified staffers could compromise the security of Americans’ private data and put the nation at risk of defaulting on its debt, which could trigger a global financial crisis.
On X, Musk teased "Excitement guaranteed" in response to a post claiming that DOGE would uncover “an unprecedented amount of fraud and corruption” across various government departments.
Musk posted on X (the platform he owns), saying, “The corruption and waste is being rooted out in real-time.”
Later, responding to a post about alleged payments to Lutheran charities, Musk stated that DOGE was "rapidly shutting down these illegal payments."
The Treasury’s payment system is a key part of the government’s financial infrastructure, managing the flow of money for Social Security, Medicare, federal salaries, and other critical payments—about $6 trillion annually.
Musk’s access to the system was approved by incoming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent after a career official was placed on administrative leave for refusing to hand over control. According to The Washington Post, the official later retired.
President Trump praised Musk as "a big cost-cutter," saying, "Sometimes we won't agree with it, and we may not always go where he wants to go. But I think he's doing a great job."
Wired was the first to report that Musk had placed a group of young aides, aged 19 to 24, in key government positions. These aides gained unprecedented access to the Treasury’s payment systems, which have traditionally been restricted to career employees. They were also reportedly stationed at the federal Office of Personnel Management, which recently sent out an email offering most employees the option to leave with about nine months of severance pay.
The move has raised alarms among Democratic lawmakers, who have expressed concerns about the potential risks of allowing political appointees to control the U.S. government’s financial systems. Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, called the move “extraordinarily dangerous.” In a letter to Bessent, she warned that handing control of such a sensitive system to Musk and his team of unqualified staffers could compromise the security of Americans’ private data and put the nation at risk of defaulting on its debt, which could trigger a global financial crisis.
On X, Musk teased "Excitement guaranteed" in response to a post claiming that DOGE would uncover “an unprecedented amount of fraud and corruption” across various government departments.