Musk's Team Granted Access to Sensitive Federal Payment System – Reports

The Trump administration has granted Elon Musk's team access to the federal payments system, which manages the distribution of trillions of dollars in government funds annually. Sources indicate that members of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) , a team within the administration, not an official government agency and now they have access to sensitive personal data of millions of Americans, says the reports.

Two officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development were reportedly placed on leave following a confrontation with Doge members regarding access.

Neither the White House nor the Treasury Department responded to requests for comment.

Just days after President Donald Trump announced its creation, Doge has expanded to several U.S. government agencies with the goal of cutting federal spending.

Musk played a key role in forming the team to lead this initiative, bringing in allies from his private companies and Silicon Valley to support the effort.

These efforts seem to be creating upheaval within agencies like the Treasury Department and USAID, both of which have been frequent targets of criticism from the Tesla CEO on social media.

On X, the platform he owns, the billionaire referred to USAID as "evil" and accused Treasury employees of "breaking the law every hour of every day."

The Treasury division that Doge now has access to manages nearly $6 trillion in payments for programs like Social Security, government salaries, and funds allocated by Congress.

According to the New York Times, access to the payment system was granted by incoming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday, the same day that long-time Treasury official David Lebryk was placed on administrative leave and unexpectedly retired.

The newspaper reported that Lebryk had strongly opposed granting "Musk's lieutenants" access to the department’s payment system, which disburses funds on behalf of the entire federal government.

Usually, only a small group of Treasury employees handle the payments system.

"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," US Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, wrote in a letter to Bessent.

"I am concerned that mismanagement of these payment systems could threaten the full faith and credit of the United States," he wrote.

Musk’s allies are also stirring up disruption at USAID, which manages billions in global aid. The agency’s website has been down since Saturday, and its X account seems to have been deactivated.

According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration placed two senior security officials on administrative leave after they pushed back against Doge team members who arrived at the agency seeking access to a secure facility, or "SCIF."

These facilities are used to store and share highly classified information and are typically subject to strict access controls.

"No classified material was accessed without proper security clearances," Katie Miller, a spokesperson for Doge, wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the federal workforce has been struggling with several executive orders signed by Trump since he took office.

Employees have received letters from the Office of Personnel Management urging them to report colleagues attempting to "conceal" diversity efforts, along with an offer for paid resignations and offer many workers with skepticism.

In response to the executive orders, agencies have rushed to remove references to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as transgender and LGBT individuals, from their websites to ensure compliance.

A significant amount of such information has been removed from the Centers for Disease Control’s website. The agency, which serves as a trusted source of scientific and medical information for researchers, healthcare professionals, and the general public, has seen links to content on LGBT health for both adults and minors, as well as mpox vaccines, lead to broken pages.

DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs are designed to encourage participation in workplaces from individuals of diverse backgrounds.

Supporters argue that these programs address historical and ongoing discrimination, as well as the underrepresentation of certain groups, including racial minorities. However, critics contend that such initiatives can, in turn, be discriminatory.