February 03, 2025

Warren Blasts Treasury Secretary Bessent for Granting Elon Musk and DOGE Access to Government Payment Systems

“It is extraordinarily dangerous to meddle with the critical systems that…ensure that tens of millions of Americans receive their Social Security checks, tax refunds, and Medicare benefits.” 

“This astonishing mismanagement – turning over the federal government’s entire payment system and sidelining the most senior career official responsible for managing it…could trigger a global financial crisis.”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (BHUA) and member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to the Secretary of the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), Scott Bessent, with extreme concern following reporting that, in one of his first acts as Secretary, Elon Musk and his associates were given “full access” to the federal government’s critical payment systems, which includes the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans.

The New York Times reported that, even before President Trump’s inauguration, Mr. Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began demanding access to the sensitive payment systems that are used by the federal government to disburse trillions of dollars every year and are essential to preventing a default on federal debt. Controlling these systems could allow the Trump Administration to “unilaterally”—and illegally—cut off payments for millions of Americans, putting at risk the financial security of families and businesses based on political favoritism or the whims of Mr. Musk and those on his team who have worked their way inside.

“The public depends on the integrity of those systems, which control the flow of over $6 trillion in payments to American families, businesses, and other recipients every year,” wrote Senator Warren. Given the highly sensitive nature of the information in these systems, control over them is typically limited to a small number of career officials. 

Reporting by the Washington Post indicates that Secretary Bessent also personally sidelined David Lebryk, a key official responsible for managing the extraordinary measures the Treasury is taking to avoid a default on U.S. debt. Mr. Musk and his team repeatedly pressured Mr. Lebryk to give them access to the payment systems, as part of the Trump administration’s plan to control spending in alarming and potentially unlawful ways. Rather than protecting the integrity and function of the payment system, Secretary Bessent reportedly bent to pressure from the White House, ultimately forcing him out. The move risks a global financial meltdown that would cost trillions of dollars and millions of jobs. 

The loss of Mr. Lebryk’s expertise comes at a time when the Treasury is already taking extraordinary measures to prevent a catastrophic debt default. “The Fiscal Assistant Secretary – unlike the amateurs you have empowered in forcing him out – was well-prepared to manage these kinds of crises,” said Senator Warren. 

“The American people deserve answers about your role in this mismanagement, which threatens the privacy and economic security of every American,” concluded Senator Warren

Senator Warren asked Secretary Bessent to provide clarity on his role in providing Mr. Musk and his team access to Treasury payment systems, along with his role in ousting Mr. Lebryk from the Treasury Department, by February 7, 2025. 

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