People associated with Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” have been trying to access the U.S. government’s payment systems, according to a shocking new report from the Washington Post. And while it’s not clear why DOGE wants access, experts are alarmed because there’s basically no plausible explanation that doesn’t involve tinkering with critical government functions by sidestepping Congress.
The system is run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service and handles everything from Social Security and Medicare payments to salaries for federal employees. Literally “tens of thousands” of functions are paid through the system, according to the Post, including tax refunds. The system paid out about $5.4 trillion in the form of 1.3 billion payments last year.
The Washington Post reports that David A. Lebryk, a senior Treasury official who’s been with the agency since 1989, announced his retirement in an email on Friday morning to staff. Lebryk’s departure is apparently related to the interference by DOGE-affiliated goons to access these payment systems, though it’s not clear how Lebryk may have pushed back, and “the exact nature of the disagreement was not immediately clear.”
DOGE isn’t a real government agency but was created by President Trump through an executive order on Jan. 20, the day he was inaugurated. Even the executive order puts “Department of Government Efficiency” in quotes, in what appears to be an attempt to fight off any legal challenges to Trump’s attempts at creating a new federal agency. Only Congress can create and abolish federal agencies.
But even though DOGE doesn’t have a real mandate, Musk is treating it like one, according to reports from multiple news outlets. The billionaire oligarch has set up an office not far from the White House and has reached his tentacles into virtually every agency. Only about 30% of Americans support Musk’s efforts with DOGE, according to a recent poll.
Nobody knows yet why Musk and his mafia want access to the government payments system, but some on social media have speculated it could have something to do with the billionaire’s recent deal with Visa to offer payment services on his social media platform X. That’s just speculation obviously, but the more likely motivation could very well have something to do with stopping payment on all kinds of congressionally mandated programs.
Trump tried to stop spending on roughly $3 trillion in programs related to health care and housing assistance, among a host of others, immediately attracting lawsuits from state attorneys general. A federal judge in Washington D.C. put a halt to the freeze on Tuesday, but the obvious concern is that the U.S. court system doesn’t actually have an enforcement mechanism for rulings. Congress can write laws and the judiciary can issue orders, but the system only works if everyone agrees to abide by the rules. And if the executive branch under Trump and Musk can stop payments to programs they don’t like, ignoring entirely what Congress and the courts say, it’s game over for the country.
Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that. But Trump’s attempt to stop payment on trillions of dollars of programs earlier this week clearly shows he doesn’t believe he has to play by the rules of our democracy. Nobody knows for sure what’s ahead. But it’s wild to think that it hasn’t even been two full weeks since Trump was inaugurated. There are dark times ahead.
Congress famously has the power of the purse. But it looks like DOGE is trying to snatch it.
