Top official resigns from postMusk fights for control of the US government's payment system
ai-scrape
1.2.2025 - 16:38
If Elon Musk gains direct control of the US Treasury's payment system, it would be an unprecedented event in US history, according to observers.
Imago
Elon Musk is apparently trying to gain access to the payment systems of the US Treasury Department. It is unclear whether President Trump has authorized Musk to do so or whether he and his team are acting on their own authority.
01.02.2025, 16:38
05.02.2025, 13:05
No time? blue News summarizes for you
Elon Musk and his Government Efficiency Office allegedly tried to gain direct control of the US government's payment system.
The top official in charge of the payment system resigned after a dispute with Musk's staff.
It is unclear whether Musk and his staff were authorized by Trump to take this action or acted on their own authority.
Various US media outlets and the Reuters agency are reporting what they believe to be an unprecedented incident: Elon Musk and his Office of Government Efficiency have been trying to gain direct control over the federal government's payment system for some time.
One consequence of this is that the highest official who controls the lawful processing of government payments has resigned - after 35 years working for the US Treasury Department. Reuters reports, citing the Washington Post, that this was after a dispute with two of Musk's employees.
The Treasury Department's payment systems manage over six trillion dollars a year and are crucial for the payment of social benefits and salaries.
Authorized by Trump or arbitrary?
The question of why Musk and his team are seeking access to these systems remains unanswered. Former officials are concerned that this could be part of an attempt to gain Trump's desired control over government payments.
Whether Trump authorized Musk directly or not is unclear. Both scenarios are problematic: either Trump is giving an unelected billionaire unprecedented control over the US payment infrastructure, or Musk is acting on his own authority.
The president has given his close aide extraordinary powers to lead his fight against the so-called "deep state". The rationale for this is that the government is riddled with unelected bureaucrats who are not accountable to the people.
Musk is supposed to use his technological expertise to track down and remove these bureaucrats in order to restore efficiency and democratic accountability in the government. The fact that the tech billionaire was not elected does not seem to play a role in this.
Musk's efficiency agency integrates into the Ministry of Finance
The payment systems are controlled by a small number of experienced officials to prevent political interference. These officials also monitor the debt ceiling and warn Congress of impending defaults.
Also significant is the fact that Musk and his Efficiency Authority apparently want to integrate themselves into the Treasury Department. Until now, observers have assumed that the Trump confidant would make his proposals for increasing government efficiency from outside.
Being able to influence payments directly and at a technical level gives Musk's team a completely different lever, as the New York Times, for example, writes.
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.