Billionaire Elon Musk's aides have gained access to a sensitive payment system of the US Treasury Department, which is used to process trillions of dollars in government payments. This was reported by The Washington Post, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that this became possible after the Donald Trump administration removed one of the highest-ranking career officials at the Treasury Department, according to three sources who wished to remain anonymous.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has given Elon Musk and the team he leads a powerful tool to monitor and potentially limit government spending,
The newspaper emphasizes that access to the system "has historically been closely classified" because it includes sensitive information about millions of Americans who receive social, tax and other benefits from the federal government. According to the NYT, Musk's department is already demanding access to other agencies.
Democrats sharply criticized this decision.
To put it bluntly: these payment systems cannot be allowed to fail, and any politically motivated interference in their operation threatens to seriously damage the country and the economy I see no justifiable reason why political figures who have repeatedly demonstrated disregard for the law should have access to these critical systems
The Office of Government Effectiveness is not a federal department. It is a unit that was created by Trump's order and operates in the White House.
Recall
Elon Musk invested $288 million in the election campaign of Trump and other Republicans. After the victory, the billionaire headed the new "Department of Government Efficiency" and increased his wealth.