US President Donald Trump’s close ally Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have gained access to the confidential Treasury data.
According to Associated Press, in a new development, the DOGE, led by the billionaire and Tesla owner, will get access to the Treasury data, including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems.
People familiar with the matter told AP that the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden of Oregon, in a letter to Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday, January 31, 2025, expressed concerns that “officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment systems to illegally withhold payments to any number of programs.”
“To put it bluntly, these payment systems simply cannot fail, and any politically motivated meddling in them risks severe damage to our country and the economy,” Wyden added.
This came after the Treasury’s acting Deputy Secretary David Lebryk resigned from his position after over 30 years of service due to Musk and his DOGE organisation's request to access sensitive data.
Lebryk, in a letter to Treasury employees, wrote, “The Fiscal Service performs some of the most vital functions in government. Our work may be unknown to most of the public, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t exceptionally important. I am grateful for having been able to work alongside some of the nation’s best and most talented operations staff.”
Meanwhile, reacting to the resignation, Musk, in a post on X, accused Treasury payment officers of always approving payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.
