Elon Musk's team has full access to the US government payment system

Aides to Elon Musk have gained access to the US government payment system, through which trillions of dollars in payments pass. This became possible after the Trump administration removed a senior Treasury official.

Aides to billionaire Elon Musk have gained access to the sensitive US Treasury Department payment system, through which trillions of dollars in government payments pass. This is reported by The Washington Post.

Details

It is noted that this became possible after the administration of Donald Trump removed one of the highest-ranking career officials of the Treasury Department from his post, three sources who wished to remain anonymous said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant has provided Elon Musk and his team with a powerful tool to monitor and potentially limit government spending,

– the publication says.

The publication emphasizes that access to the system “has historically been carefully classified” because it includes confidential information about millions of Americans who receive social, tax and other payments from the federal government. According to the NYT, Musk's department is already demanding access to other agencies.

Democrats have sharply criticized this decision.

To put it bluntly: these payment systems cannot afford to fail, and any politically motivated interference in their work threatens to cause serious harm to the country and the economy. I see no valid reason why political figures, who have already repeatedly demonstrated contempt for the law, should be given access to these critical systems

– Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Bessant on Friday.

The Department of Government Efficiency is not a federal department. It is a unit created by Trump and located in the White House.