Elon Musk’s Doge team granted ‘full access’ to federal payment system

Trump’s treasury secretary gives the world’s richest person entry to one of the most sensitive US government databases

Elon Musk’s government-slashing crew, the “department of government efficiency”, has been given access to the federal payment system, exposing the sensitive personal data of millions of Americans as well as details of public contractors who compete directly with Musk’s own businesses, an influential US senator has confirmed.

Ron Wyden, a Democratic senator from Oregon and the ranking member of the Senate finance committee, posted on Bluesky that sources had confirmed to him that the Treasury’s highly-sensitive database had been opened up to the tech billionaire and his team.

Topics

Musk vows to cancel grants after gaining access to US Treasury payment system

System disperses trillions of dollars in US government spending each year, including social security
Financial Times - 4h
Musk team given access to sensitive federal payment system - reports

The Trump administration grants Musk's team access to system that controls the flow of trillions of dollars in funds, US media report.
BBC News - 5h
Elon Musk’s Team Now Has Access to Treasury’s Payments System

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave Mr. Musk’s representatives at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency a powerful tool to monitor and potentially limit government spending.
The New York Times - 21h
Top Treasury official retires over DOGE request for access to payment systems

David Lebryk, a top Treasury Department nonpolitical career official, retired Friday after clashing with Elon Musk allies over government payment systems, a source familiar with the matter told The ...
The Hill - 1d
Elon Musk’s Doge accused of ‘illegal’ job posting by federal workers’ union

Union leader claims Trump-created organization is ‘corrupt’ as X owner posts vague request for applications. Elon Musk ’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) has been accused by a leading ...
The Guardian - 6d
Trump and Elon Musk’s ‘Doge’ violates federal transparency rules, suit claims

Lawsuit filed moments after Trump’s swearing-in challenges legality of ‘department of government efficiency’. US politics live – latest updates Elon Musk’s “department of government ...
The Guardian - Jan. 20
Elon Musk says DOGE probably won't find $2 trillion in federal budget cuts

Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Wednesday that his budget-cutting effort on behalf of President-elect Donald Trump would most likely not find $2 trillion in savings, backtracking on a goal he set ...
NBC News - Jan. 9

More from The Guardian

Trump tariffs: markets brace for falls as Mexico and Canada hit back

Fears grow for global trade, with major indices likely to plunge as US trading partners quickly retaliate, raising chance China and EU will follow suit. Canada and Mexico hit back after Trump ...
The Guardian - 3h
Rubio tells Panama to reduce Chinese influence in canal area or face US action

Secretary of state’s visit to Central American state greeted with protests at Trump’s demand to take back the waterway. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has held talks in Panama with its ...
The Guardian - 2h
Germans protest against party leader who pushed migration bill backed by far right

Angry rallies in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich accuse Friedrich Merz of cooperating with AfD. Tens of thousands of people marched in Germany on Sunday to protest against the decision ...
The Guardian - 3h
Trump revokes deportation protections for 300,000 Venezuelans in US – report

Move comes as one-two punch for group already reeling from last week’s decision to rescind 18-month extension. The Trump administration has stepped up its attack on Venezuelans living in the US ...
The Guardian - 2h
Greece sends rescue teams to Santorini amid fears of big earthquake

Schools shut as precautionary measure and people told to avoid shoreline after hundreds of seismic tremors. Greek authorities have dispatched special forces, rescue teams, tents and drones to the ...
The Guardian - 1h