US Treasury says Musk team has ‘read-only’ access to payments data

US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (C), Democrat of New York, speaks alongside US Senator Patty Murray (L), Democrat of Washington, US Senator Elizabeth Warren (2nd L), Democrat of Massachusetts, US Senator Brian Schatz (2nd R), Democrat of Hawaii, and US Senator Ron Wyden (R), Democrat of Oregon, about Elon Musk and DOGE accessing government agencies computers and data during a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, February 3, 2025. Musk’s aides have taken control of the US Treasury Department’s payments system — which manages trillions of dollars of transactions each year — sparking alarm among critics. Musk, the world’s richest person, is leading President Donald Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts under the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
Washington, United States — The US Treasury said Tuesday that Elon Musk’s government reform team can read data from its highly sensitive payment system but not alter it, after Democratic lawmakers raised the alarm over the move and called for an investigation.
Musk, the world’s richest person, is leading President Donald Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
As part of that drive, he reportedly pushed for a team led by IT executive Tom Krause to be given access to the Treasury Department’s closely guarded payment system, which handles trillions of dollars of transactions, from Social Security and Medicare payouts to federal salaries.
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In response, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden sent a letter Tuesday to the congressional watchdog agency demanding it probe reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had personally granted Musk and his aides that permission.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Treasury, in a letter sent to Congress and shared with AFP, confirmed Krause’s team has access to the system, but said it is “read-only access… in order to continue this operational efficiency assessment.”
Article continues after this advertisementThey said the permission was “similar to the kind of access that Treasury provides to individuals reviewing Treasury systems, such as auditors.”
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) gestures as demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Treasury Department after it was reported billionaire Elon Musk, who is heading U.S. President Donald Trump’s drive to shrink the federal government, has gained access to Treasury’s federal payments system that sends out more than $6 trillion per year in payments on behalf of federal agencies and contains the personal information of millions of Americans, in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
Musk’s efficiency drive has run into strong opposition from Democratic lawmakers, who have raised a wide range of legal and ethical concerns about his moves to slash federal spending.
In a separate letter sent to Republican President Donald Trump on Tuesday, other Democratic policymakers expressed concern over DOGE’s work involving government data and facilities.
Labor unions and a grassroots advocacy group have also objected to the moves, filing a lawsuit calling on a federal judge to declare it illegal for Musk or others from DOGE to get personal information on taxpayers, and to block the Treasury Department from letting that happen.
In a post on X, the social media platform that he owns, Musk said Monday that the “only way to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money is to follow the payment flows and pause suspicious transactions for review.”
Musk’s access to the payments system was approved by Bessent and made possible when a career official was put on administrative leave after refusing to allow entry, according to the lawsuit. The official later retired.