Treasury Dept. gives Elon Musk’s team access to federal payment system: Sources

The payment system is essentially a checkbook for the federal government.

The Treasury Department has given Elon Musk and representatives of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team access to the vast federal payment system responsible for handling trillions of dollars in government expenditures, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The payment system — which is essentially a checkbook for the entire federal government — is a closely held operation run by career officials, with a limited number of people authorized to access the information given it contains sensitive information about hundreds of millions of Americans.

The demand for access to the payment system reportedly caused such a rift inside the Treasury Department that the career official who previously oversaw it, David Lebryk, was placed on administrative leave last week after he resisted granting Musk and his government efficiency team access to the database.

On Friday, Lebryk told colleagues at the department he would be retiring, sources told ABC News.

If Musk or his team were to attempt to block these payments, it would likely face legal challenges given the money is approved by Congress.

Sources said that if Musk or his representatives were to request that changes be made to the system, such requests would be subject to an internal review process by Treasury Department officials.

In a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said that any “politically-motivated meddling” in the payment systems “risks severe damage to our country and the economy.”

“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. I am deeply concerned that following the federal grant and loan freeze earlier this week, these officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment systems to illegally withhold payments to any number of programs,” Wyden wrote in a Friday evening letter.

“I can think of no good reason why political operators who have demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law would need access to these sensitive, missioncritical systems,” Wyden wrote.

Spokespeople for DOGE, the White House and Treasury didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Related Posts

JUST IN / LOWERING DRUG PRICES BY ONCE AGAIN PUTTING AMERICANS FIRST

JUST IN / LOWERING DRUG PRICES BY ONCE AGAIN PUTTING AMERICANS FIRST

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, it is hereby ordered: My first term included significant…

Sanders Confronted On Private Jet Use For ‘Fight Oligarchy’ Tour With AOC

Sanders Confronted On Private Jet Use For ‘Fight Oligarchy’ Tour With AOC

Socialist-minded “independent” Sen. Bernie Sanders defended his use of private jets to travel back and forth during his “Fight Oligarchy” tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in…

Trump signals China ‘very much’ interested in securing trade deal ahead of Switzerland negotiations

Trump signals China ‘very much’ interested in securing trade deal ahead of Switzerland negotiations

‘I will tell you that China very much wants to make a deal,’ Trump said Thursday. China is eager to hash out a trade deal with the…

Biden tells ‘The View’ he wasn’t surprised Harris lost, blames sexism and racism

Biden tells ‘The View’ he wasn’t surprised Harris lost, blames sexism and racism

Biden sat down with ‘The View’ co-hosts on Thursday for his second interview since leaving the White House. Former President Joe Biden said he wasn’t surprised that…

Schiff Suggests Trump’s Tariff Strategy Is Enabling ‘Insider Trading’

Schiff Suggests Trump’s Tariff Strategy Is Enabling ‘Insider Trading’

California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, who spent years pushing the false claim that Donald Trump and Russia “colluded” to “steal” the 2016 election, has a new conspiracy…

Trump Hits Back with 8 Words for Voters Who Regret Supporting Him Amid Latest Polls

Trump Hits Back with 8 Words for Voters Who Regret Supporting Him Amid Latest Polls

“They Did Sign Up For It”: Trump Defends Controversial Policies as He Marks 100 Days in Office In a wide-ranging and at times combative interview marking his…