US Treasury Clarifies Musk Team’s Access to Payment Data Amid Concerns

AFP/APP

Washington: The US Treasury clarified on Tuesday that Elon Musk’s government reform team has “read-only” access to its sensitive payment system, following alarm raised by Democratic lawmakers and calls for an investigation.

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

As part of this initiative, Musk reportedly pushed for IT executive Tom Krause’s team to gain access to the Treasury’s highly secured payment system, which processes trillions of dollars in transactions, including Social Security and Medicare payments and federal salaries.

In response, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden sent a letter to the congressional watchdog agency urging an investigation into reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent personally approved the access for Musk and his aides.

The Treasury responded in a letter to Congress, shared with AFP, confirming that Krause’s team has access to the system but stressed that it is “read-only access” for the purpose of assessing operational efficiency.

The Treasury explained that this type of access is similar to what it provides to auditors and individuals reviewing its systems.

Musk’s efficiency efforts have faced strong opposition from Democratic lawmakers, who have raised multiple legal and ethical concerns regarding his approach to reducing federal spending.

In a separate letter to President Donald Trump, other Democratic officials expressed further concerns over DOGE’s involvement with government data and facilities.