Pierluigi Paganini
February 03, 2025
Sen. Ron Wyden warned of national security risks after Elon Musk ’s team, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was granted full access to a sensitive U.S. Treasury payments system. Sen. Ron Wyden stated that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted Elon Musk’s team, DOGE, access to the sensitive Treasury system.
David Lebryk, the Treasury Department’s top civil servant, retired after over 30 years following a clash with Musk’s team over access to the system. Reports suggest he was placed on leave after objecting to DOGE agents gaining access.
“Under the arrangement, the Times reported, one of the Doge members who can now scour the data of millions of Americans is Tom Krause, chief executive of the tech company Cloud Software Group.” reported The Guardian.
“Before confirming the deal, Wyden had already sounded the alarm about Musk’s attempts to break into such a sensitive federal database. On Friday he wrote to Bessent warning that the system was so critical “it simply cannot fail”.
Wyden warned that “any politically-motivated meddling in them risks severe damage to our country and the economy. 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, mission-critical systems.””
Sen. Wyden warned that Musk’s business ties to China could pose a national security risk by potentially exposing U.S. data to Chinese intelligence. He called Musk’s access a threat to cybersecurity and a conflict of interest.
The U.S. Treasury payments system is a highly secure infrastructure that processes and disburses trillions of dollars in federal payments annually. It is used for distributing funds such as Social Security benefits, tax refunds, and federal salaries. The system ensures that payments are made accurately, securely, and efficiently to recipients across the country.
Granting a private entrepreneur access to the U.S. Treasury payments system poses significant risks. This system handles sensitive financial transactions, and unauthorized access could lead to misuse, manipulation, or cyber threats. It also contains vast amounts of personal financial data, making it vulnerable to leaks, fraud, and surveillance concerns. Additionally, a private individual could exploit this access for personal or corporate gain, influencing federal payments or financial markets. Allowing such access sets a dangerous precedent, opening the door for future administrations to misuse the system by selectively granting access to private entities. If the individual has international business ties, foreign adversaries could potentially leverage this access for economic or political influence. Given its role in national financial infrastructure, any unauthorized access could undermine economic stability, public trust, and national security.
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