Elon Musk’s aides have taken control of the US Treasury Department’s payments system – which manages trillions of dollars of transactions each year – sparking alarm among critics.
Musk, the world’s richest person, is leading US President Donald Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts under the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).
“The corruption and waste is being rooted out in real-time,” Musk posted on Sunday on X, the social media platform he owns.
Later, replying to a post outlining alleged payments to Lutheran charities, Musk said DOGE was “rapidly shutting down these illegal payments”.
The Treasury’s closely guarded payments system handles the money flow of the US government, including US$6 trillion annually for Social Security, Medicare, federal salaries, and other critical payments.
Musk’s control of the payments system was approved by incoming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and was made possible when a career official was put on administrative leave on Friday after refusing to hand over access, The Washington Post first reported.
The official subsequently retired from the department, a source close to the matter told Agence France-Presse.
