Musk’s reform team granted read-only access to Treasury’s payment system

WASHINGTON: Following concerns raised by Democratic lawmakers and calls for an investigation, the US Treasury confirmed on Tuesday that Elon Musk’s government reform team is permitted to view data from its sensitive payment system but is restricted from making any alterations.

Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual, is heading President Donald Trump’s federal cost-cutting initiative under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

As part of this effort, Musk reportedly advocated for a team led by IT executive Tom Krause to be granted access to the Treasury Department’s tightly secured payment system, which handles trillions of dollars in transactions, including Social Security and Medicare payouts, as well as federal salaries.

In response, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden sent a letter on Tuesday to the congressional oversight agency, urging it to investigate reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent personally authorized Musk and his team for this access.

The Treasury, in a letter to Congress shared with AFP, confirmed that Krause’s team has "read-only" access to the system, stating it was granted to assist with an "operational efficiency assessment." The letter explained that this access is similar to what Treasury provides to auditors and others reviewing Treasury systems.

Musk’s efficiency efforts have faced strong resistance from Democratic lawmakers, who have raised concerns about the legality and ethics of his push to reduce federal spending.

Additionally, other Democratic policymakers expressed concerns in a separate letter to President Trump, questioning DOGE’s involvement with government data and resources.

Labor unions and a grassroots advocacy group have also opposed the moves, filing a lawsuit to block Musk and other DOGE officials from obtaining personal taxpayer information and to prevent the Treasury Department from allowing it.

In a post on X, the social media platform Musk owns, he stated on Monday that the only way to prevent fraud and waste of taxpayer dollars is to monitor payment flows and pause suspicious transactions for review.

Musk’s access to the payment system was approved by Bessent, with the access granted after a career Treasury official was placed on administrative leave for refusing to allow entry. The official later retired, according to the lawsuit.