A U.S. senator has raised alarms about national security following reports that Elon Musk’s team received full access to a sensitive U.S. Treasury payment system.
This system handles trillions of dollars in federal funds, including Social Security, Medicare benefits, tax refunds, and payments to government contractors.
The access was reportedly granted on Friday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
This decision came after a standoff earlier in the week, which led to the resignation of a senior Treasury official.
Concerns were voiced by Senator Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, who cited risks related to Musk’s extensive business ties with China.
He fears these connections could compromise U.S. cybersecurity and create conflicts of interest.
One of the DOGE representatives with access is Tom Krause, the CEO of Cloud Software Group, which owns Citrix.
Both Krause and the Treasury declined to comment on the matter.
This development is part of broader efforts by Musk’s team to influence federal operations after President Trump’s return to office on January 20.
Trump had instructed Musk to implement major spending cuts across government agencies.
Further concerns were raised after reports indicated that Musk’s team restricted access for some government employees to critical systems containing sensitive information.
This echoes past security breaches, including the 2015 Office of Personnel Management hack linked to China, which exposed personal data of millions of federal workers.
The situation continues to draw attention as lawmakers assess potential risks to national security and government operations.
