Senator Warns of Security Risks as DOGE Gains Treasury Access

A top US lawmaker has raised national security concerns after representatives of Elon Musk obtained “full access” to a US Treasury payments system that distributes trillions of dollars every year to Americans. Senator Ron Wyden, senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said via Bluesky that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had approved Musk’s team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, for access to this sensitive system on Friday.

This was a decision following a tense standoff earlier in the week. The Treasury’s highest-ranking career official resigned after resisting DOGE’s request for access. Wyden emphasized that the system processes Social Security, Medicare benefits, grants, and payments to government contractors, including companies competing with Musk’s own businesses.

The New York Times said Bessent approved the access request from DOGE. The list of those allowed in with DOGE included Tom Krause, who was chief executive at Cloud Software Group, parent of Citrix. He could not be reached for comment by press time, nor would the Treasury comment.

Musk and his team have been building their power within the federal government since President Trump’s return to office on Jan. 20. Within a week of Trump’s inauguration, Musk was directed by Trump to impose deep federal spending cuts. The Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service handles more than $6 trillion in payments annually to U.S. households covering Social Security, Medicare, tax refunds, and federal salaries. Historically, only a few officials had access due to the sensitive personal data involved. Wyden warned that any politically driven interference in this system could severely harm the U.S. economy. He also expressed concerns over Musk’s extensive business ties in China. According to Wyden, these connections pose cybersecurity risks and create conflicts of interest.

China has been implicated in several cyber-attacks on US infrastructure, including one against the Treasury’s own systems last year. Musk’s team reportedly blocked career officials from federal HR systems, which are packed with information about millions of employees. In fact, another major hack-2015’s 22 million record breach at the OPM-was also blamed on China. Given this history, Wyden wonders why this sensitive system is now exposed to Musk and his team.