Elon Musk’s DOGE Sparks Uproar Over Treasury Access

WASHINGTON, February 2, 2025 – The ​Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by technical movement ​Elon Musk, triggered a political firestorm after revelations that provided access to Treasury Department sensitive payment systems. This ​unprecedented movement has raised concerns among legislators, financial experts and ​government law enforcement ​officials, with concerns about potential ​risks to the integrity of federal payment, social ​security and health insurance systems.

According to many family sources, including reports from the New York Times and Bloomberg, the Musk DOGE team was consulted ​after having passed strict controls ​of government history and obtained the necessary security clearances. Although the team has not yet exercised operational ​control over the payment processes, its new capacity has led to a bipartite review, particularly in the midst of ​allegations that DOGE officials “rapidly ​disable” certain federal ​payments, including those to a Lutheran charity.

What is ​the Department of Government Effectiveness?

DOGE is not ​an official ministry, but rather a working group within the Trump administration, created by a decree signed on the first day of President Donald Trump’s government. Its mission, as Musk and ​former co-leader of the DOGE Vivek Ramaswamy ​claim, is to identify inefficiencies within federal agencies, reduce excessive spending and simplify government operations. Most of DOGE’s employees were selected by hand by Musk and his close assistants, who were responsible for infiltrating several federal ​systems to eliminate waste and fraud.

Unlike other oversight bodies, ​there has been unprecedented access to internal government platforms, including payment systems managed by the Office of the Treasury Tax Service. This system manages ​billions of dollars ​per year, allocating social security benefits, health insurance payments, ​federal grants and contractor disbursements.

Why is DOGE’s ​access to treasury systems controversial?

The controversy broke out after Musk publicly stated ​on his ​social media platform, X, that DOGE had discovered systemic fraud in Treasury payment transactions. In ​a note, Musk said:

“The @ DOGE team discovered, among other things, that Treasury payment ​approval officers were still responsible ​for approving payments, even for known fraudulent ​groups or terrorists. They have literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once.”

These allegations, made without concrete evidence, raised concerns that the participation of DOGE could ​politicize what was ​traditionally an apolitical function of the government. According to Politics, Treasury payment systems are designed to operate independently of political influence, with strict protocols ​to prevent fraud and ensure timely disbursements.

Senator Ron Wyden, the most prominent democrat in ​the Senate ​Finance Committee, expressed serious concerns in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

“To put it plainly, these payment systems simply cannot ​fail, and any political ​interference in these systems can cause serious damage to our country and the ​economy. “

How did he do it? Do you have access ​to Treasury payment systems?

According to sources ​cited by AP News, DOGE staff, including Tom Krause, CEO of ​Cloud Software Group, were ​temporarily employed by the Treasury to meet legal requirements for access to ​the system. This agreement allowed ​them to ​conduct ​background checks of the government and ​receive security clearances. Treasury ​counsel would have approved this process, ensuring compliance with existing protocols.

Despite these formalities, the motion resulted in the resignation of Under-Secretary of Finance David Lebryk, who served in the department for more than 30 years. Although his resignation letter does not ​explicitly mention the DOGE, sources ​told Washington Post that his departure was directly related to disagreements about access to sensitive data to DOGE.

What are the potential ​risks?

Critics argue that access to DOGE could compromise the integrity ​of federal payment systems, which could lead to political interference. The ​Treasury Tax Services Office monitors payments ​over $6 trillion ​per year, including essential programs such as social security, health insurance and pandemic ​assistance funds.

Former Treasury official Lily ​Batchelder, who served under the ​administration ​of Biden, criticized ​the movement:

“BFS is an apolitical scientist. It is very worrying that White House politicians are trying to ​interfere with the benefits of social security and personal tax refunds.”

In addition, ​the participation of DOGE raised concerns about data security. Senator Elizabeth Warren called on Congress to conduct an investigation, highlighting the risk of taxpayers’ abuse of confidential information in favour of Musk’s ​commercial interests.

Did DOGE have an ​impact?

Although DOGE did not formally block government payments, Musk ​stated that the ​team had already identified and closed “fraud” ​transactions. ​He also claimed to save more than $1 billion by canceling federal ​diversity, equity and inclusion contracts, according to Fox News.

Supporters of ​DOGE argue that this aggressive monitoring is ​necessary to stop waste spending and reduce the federal deficit. However, criticism contradicts ​the Working Group’s lack of transparency and accountability, asking questions about its real reasons.

What guarantees are in place?

The federal government has several mechanisms to prevent abusive payments. The Treasury manages a Do Not Pay portal, which allows organizations to verify recipients of payments in databases of ​ineligible entities, including deceased, convicted and incarcerated persons.

In addition, during the administration of Biden, the Treasury put in place artificial ​intelligence tools to detect fraudulent activities. These efforts would have prevented and recovered more than $4 billion in ​fiscal year 2024. Despite these safeguards, inappropriate payments remain an important issue, as federal agencies ​reported $236 million in these payments only last year.

According to the Office of Government Accountability, the government risks losing between $233 ​billion and $521 billion per year due to ​fraud and administrative ​errors. This persistent ​challenge has fuelled legitimate calls for reform and opportunistic political agendas.

As the DOGE saga develops, the debate on government ​efficiency, fiscal responsibility and the sanctity ​of apolitical institutions continues to intensify. In the coming weeks, Congress is likely to ​hold hearings, ​new investigations and perhaps ​new legislative measures to resolve the controversy surrounding Musk’s ​influence ​in the federal government.