Bessent informs legislators that Musk's "DOGE" does not govern the Treasury payments system
The comments were made during a two-hour meeting involving the Treasury secretary and Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee.
TroibNews 
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent provided private assurances to Republican lawmakers during a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill on Monday, confirming that Elon Musk and his team do not control a sensitive government system overseeing the flow of trillions of dollars in payments. This meeting, attended by five lawmakers, comes amidst rising concerns about Musk’s endeavors to access significant components of the federal government.
Bessent’s assurances were particularly noteworthy following his decision over the weekend to grant Musk’s efficiency team access to the payments network. This action ensued from a dispute that resulted in the abrupt resignation of the Treasury's top career official. Democrats have condemned this move as an unprecedented instance of political interference in the federal government's funding processes.
The two-hour meeting included a reception and dinner with GOP members from the House Financial Services Committee. While Bessent chose not to comment upon leaving the event, Rep. Andy Barr, a senior Republican on the committee, described Bessent’s presentation as “very reassuring” for Republican lawmakers. He stated, “Treasury has control of the Treasury payments system,” adding that Musk’s DOGE team is tasked with “reviewing the process to make sure there's accountability, transparency, traceability, and making sure that there's not lost payments, missing payments, hemorrhaging of taxpayer funds.”
House Financial Services Chair French Hill emphasized that the analysis provided by Musk’s team could enhance the efficiency of federal operations, stating, “the idea that DOGE is going to make efficiency recommendations and offer recommendations on how to more effectively use IT systems for reducing fraud, enhancing payment reliability, enhancing payment accuracy and timeliness — those are good suggestions.” He noted the necessity of departmental cooperation and congressional approval for certain recommendations.
Reports indicated that Bessent had approved a plan to provide "read-only" access to the payment system for a team led by Tom Krause, CEO of Cloud Software Group, who now has a role in the Treasury Department as a liaison to Musk’s DOGE group, which operates from the United States Digital Service.
Democrats have expressed strong opposition to the Trump administration's move to grant access to Musk's allies, labeling it as an illegal maneuver to obstruct funding already approved by Congress. They argue this jeopardizes crucial payments for millions of Americans and risks exposing personal banking information to Musk’s team. Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized the situation, stating, “Elon just grabbed the controls of our whole payment system, demanding the power to turn it on for his friends or turn it off for anyone he doesn't like,” describing it as a troubling concentration of power.
Sen. Patty Murray echoed these concerns, questioning the validity of reassurances about the limited nature of the access provided to Musk’s allies and citing contradictory statements from Musk himself.
Musk has publicly claimed that his DOGE team was “rapidly shutting down” payments to Lutheran charities serving refugees and has made unsubstantiated allegations that Treasury officials were unlawfully approving payments to fraudulent organizations and terrorist groups.
On the same day, federal employee unions sought a court order to block access for Musk’s team to government databases. Nonetheless, Bessent reassured lawmakers that Musk does not possess control over vital Treasury systems, with one GOP lawmaker in attendance emphasizing, “The secretary is in control of all aspects of Treasury.”
In addition to discussing Musk, Barr noted that Bessent addressed issues related to financial regulation and his new role as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Other Republican lawmakers defended Musk’s involvement, dismissing concerns that he could misuse access to disrupt payments Americans depend on. Sen. Bernie Moreno remarked, “It’s important for them to be able to know what is being spent — and make certain it's being spent A, the way Congress intended, and B, the way the President would want it to be spent,” underscoring the value of direct engagement with the disbursement system.
Katherine Hapgood contributed to this report.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
Bessent’s assurances were particularly noteworthy following his decision over the weekend to grant Musk’s efficiency team access to the payments network. This action ensued from a dispute that resulted in the abrupt resignation of the Treasury's top career official. Democrats have condemned this move as an unprecedented instance of political interference in the federal government's funding processes.
The two-hour meeting included a reception and dinner with GOP members from the House Financial Services Committee. While Bessent chose not to comment upon leaving the event, Rep. Andy Barr, a senior Republican on the committee, described Bessent’s presentation as “very reassuring” for Republican lawmakers. He stated, “Treasury has control of the Treasury payments system,” adding that Musk’s DOGE team is tasked with “reviewing the process to make sure there's accountability, transparency, traceability, and making sure that there's not lost payments, missing payments, hemorrhaging of taxpayer funds.”
House Financial Services Chair French Hill emphasized that the analysis provided by Musk’s team could enhance the efficiency of federal operations, stating, “the idea that DOGE is going to make efficiency recommendations and offer recommendations on how to more effectively use IT systems for reducing fraud, enhancing payment reliability, enhancing payment accuracy and timeliness — those are good suggestions.” He noted the necessity of departmental cooperation and congressional approval for certain recommendations.
Reports indicated that Bessent had approved a plan to provide "read-only" access to the payment system for a team led by Tom Krause, CEO of Cloud Software Group, who now has a role in the Treasury Department as a liaison to Musk’s DOGE group, which operates from the United States Digital Service.
Democrats have expressed strong opposition to the Trump administration's move to grant access to Musk's allies, labeling it as an illegal maneuver to obstruct funding already approved by Congress. They argue this jeopardizes crucial payments for millions of Americans and risks exposing personal banking information to Musk’s team. Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized the situation, stating, “Elon just grabbed the controls of our whole payment system, demanding the power to turn it on for his friends or turn it off for anyone he doesn't like,” describing it as a troubling concentration of power.
Sen. Patty Murray echoed these concerns, questioning the validity of reassurances about the limited nature of the access provided to Musk’s allies and citing contradictory statements from Musk himself.
Musk has publicly claimed that his DOGE team was “rapidly shutting down” payments to Lutheran charities serving refugees and has made unsubstantiated allegations that Treasury officials were unlawfully approving payments to fraudulent organizations and terrorist groups.
On the same day, federal employee unions sought a court order to block access for Musk’s team to government databases. Nonetheless, Bessent reassured lawmakers that Musk does not possess control over vital Treasury systems, with one GOP lawmaker in attendance emphasizing, “The secretary is in control of all aspects of Treasury.”
In addition to discussing Musk, Barr noted that Bessent addressed issues related to financial regulation and his new role as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Other Republican lawmakers defended Musk’s involvement, dismissing concerns that he could misuse access to disrupt payments Americans depend on. Sen. Bernie Moreno remarked, “It’s important for them to be able to know what is being spent — and make certain it's being spent A, the way Congress intended, and B, the way the President would want it to be spent,” underscoring the value of direct engagement with the disbursement system.
Katherine Hapgood contributed to this report.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
