Elon Musk has read-only access to payments data

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The US Treasury said on 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.

South Africa-born Elon 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).

Handles trillions of dollars

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.

In response, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden sent a letter on Tuesday to the congressional watchdog agency demanding it probe reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had personally granted Musk and his aides that permission.

The 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.”

They said the permission was “similar to the kind of access that Treasury provides to individuals reviewing Treasury systems, such as auditors.”

Elon 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.

Concern over DOGE’s work

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.

Labour 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.”

Elon 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.