Rep. Cleaver and 153 House Democrats Demand Answers on Elon Musk’s Access to Treasury Payment Systems
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, along with 153 other House Democrats, demanded answers from Department of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent regarding Elon Musk’s access to the Department’s internal systems. Following numerous reports that Musk, who is unelected and unaccountable to the public, has gained control of the Department’s payment system, which includes private information such as Americans’ Social Security numbers and controls trillions of dollars in federal spending, Congressman Cleaver, Democratic lawmakers, and nonpartisan government watchdog groups have been sounding the alarm, including a protest at the Department of Treasury earlier this week.
In a letter to Treasury Secretary Bessent, the lawmakers raised serious concerns about the alarming reports and demanded the department provide information about the situation.
“We write to express our concern regarding alarming reports that you have granted Elon Musk and his allies access to the federal government’s expansive payments system,” the lawmakers wrote. “This system is responsible for delivering trillions in Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, and payments to government contractors. It also functions as the payment intermediary for nearly every federal agency within the Executive Branch.”
“This action follows earlier reports that you removed an essential nonpartisan career Treasury official, who has played a critical role in preventing the United States from defaulting on its debt, due to his opposition to Mr. Musk’s actions,” the lawmakers continued. “These recent developments raise serious questions about your ability to fulfill the essential functions of your role as Treasury Secretary and to protect the economic strength and security of the United States.”
The federal government’s payment system is managed by the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Fiscal Service and is responsible for administering trillions yearly in Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, and payments to government contractors. As such, it contains highly sensitive details about hundreds of millions of Americans, including Social Security numbers and business financial records. At President Trump’s directive, Secretary Bessent recently forced out the top career official at the Bureau, who has played a critical role in preventing the United States from defaulting on its debt, before allowing Elon and his allies to take over.
Importantly, this system also serves as a payment intermediary for almost every federal agency. Nearly 90 percent of all government spending runs through the Bureau’s system. With control over the payments system, Musk could continue to attempt to undermine Congress’ power of the purse. Additionally, Musk could weaponize the system to block payments to companies that compete with his own for government contracts and funding to particular non-profits he dislikes.
The official letter from lawmakers is available here.
Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.