The Department of Efficiency under the leadership of Ilon Mask gained access to the payment system of the US Treasury

The US Department of Finance provided the Department of Efficiency of State Administration (DOGE), which is headed by Ilon Max, access to the federal payment system. This is written by The New York Times with reference to five sources familiar with the question. The publication notes that now in the hands of representatives of the mask there is a powerful tool for monitoring and potential restriction of government spending, namely unilateral blocking of funds allocated by Congress for specific purposes.

According to sources, the idea to give DOGE access to the distribution system of federal funds met resistance from one of the high -ranking officials of the Ministry of Finance, David Lebrick. The confrontation ended with the fact that Librika was sent on vacation, and on January 31 he suddenly retired. People from the Mask team received the status of employees of the Ministry of Finance, passed the necessary checks and gained access to the agency. According to NYT sources, not a single state payment has yet been blocked.

“Any politically motivated intervention [in the payment system] risks causing serious damage to our country and the economy,” wrote Senator Ron Wayden in a letter to the head of the Ministry of Finance Scott Bessoent. The senator pointed out that Musk is a businessman with a huge portfolio of shares and providing him with access to the federal payment system can create a conflict of interests. “Garbage benefits and [state medical insurance] Medicare, grants, payments to state contractors, including those that directly compete with the Mask company. All this, ”Waiden wrote on the Bluesky social network.

US President Donald Trump has granted a mask of broad powers to search for ways to reduce state expenses. The billionaire criticized the Ministry of Finance, saying that he misses fraudulent and unlawful payments. The Department of Efficiency, which is not a government department, but a group within the presidential administration, was created by a butter of Trump.

Over 2023, more than $ 5 trillion has passed through the US Department of Finance. Access to the system has always been strictly classified, since it contains personal data of millions of Americans receiving social benefits, tax deductions and other payments from the federal government.