Elon Musk Just Got Access to the U.S. Treasury’s Payment System—What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Elon Musk Just Got Access to the U.S. Treasury’s Payment System—What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

In a shocking late-night move, Trump’s Treasury Secretary has granted Elon Musk and his team at Doge full access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems—the system responsible for distributing Social Security, Medicare, student loan payments, government contractor funds, and more.

Here’s why this is terrifying:

$5 trillion flowed through this system in 2023 alone.

A top Treasury official resisted giving Musk access, but after being put on leave and suddenly “retiring” Friday, the system was handed over.

Democratic senators are raising the alarm, warning that Musk—who already benefits from government contracts and runs multiple private-sector companies—could now have insider access to payments that affect millions of Americans.

Senator Ron Wyden put it plainly: "Social Security and Medicare benefits, grants, payments to government contractors—including Musk's competitors—are all impacted by this."

So, to recap: The richest man in the world, who owns one of the most influential social media platforms, and who was never elected by anyone, now has his hands in one of the most sensitive financial systems in America.

This is not normal. And if you think it's bad now, wait until the Trump admin starts restricting payments based on political loyalty.