Treasury Tells Congress That Doge Has 'read Only' Access To Payment Systems

A Treasury Department official wrote a letter Tuesday to federal lawmakers saying that a tech executive working with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency will have "read-only access" to the government's payment system.

The official sent the letter out of concerns from members of Congress that DOGE's involvement with the payment system for the federal government could lead to security risks or missed payments for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Lawmakers are also concerned that Musk, an unelected citizen, wields too much power within the U.S. government and states blatantly on his social media platform that DOGE will shut down payments to organizations.

DOGE, a Trump administration task force assigned to find ways to fire federal workers , cut programs and slash federal regulations, has raised concerns about its intentions and overruling of career officials at multiple agencies. Democratic lawmakers have voiced frustration over the lack of transparency and public accountability, saying that Musk's people might illegally withhold payments to suit their political agenda.

The Treasury official said that the ongoing "review" has "not caused payments for obligations such as Social Security and Medicare to be delayed or re-routed."

The letter said that Tom Krause, who is also listed online as the CEO of Cloud Software Group, was working at Treasury as a 'special government employee," which subjects him to less stringent rules on ethics and financial disclosures than other workers. The letter also said that Krause is conducting the effort in coordination with career treasury officials.