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Elon Musk’s Team Now Has Access to Treasury’s Payments System
The New York Times ^ | Feb. 1, 2025 Updated 5:03 PM ET | Andrew Duehren, Maggie Haberman, Theodore Schleifer and Alan Rappeport

Posted on 02/01/2025 6:44:37 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave representatives of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency full access to the federal payment system late on Friday, according to three people familiar with the change, handing Elon Musk and the team he is leading a powerful tool to monitor and potentially limit government spending.

The new authority follows a standoff this week with a top Treasury official who had resisted allowing Mr. Musk’s lieutenants into the department’s payment system, which sends out money on behalf of the entire federal government. The official, a career civil servant named David Lebryk, was put on leave and then suddenly retired on Friday after the dispute, according to people familiar with his exit.

The system could give the Trump administration another mechanism to attempt to unilaterally restrict disbursement of money approved for specific purposes by Congress, a push that has faced legal roadblocks.

Mr. Musk, who has been given wide latitude by President Trump to find ways to slash government spending, has recently fixated on Treasury’s payment processes, criticizing the department in a social media post on Saturday for not rejecting more payments as fraudulent or improper.

It is not clear whether the team led by Mr. Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, has blocked any payments since gaining access to the system.

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is not a government department, but a team within the administration. It was put together at Mr. Trump’s direction by Mr. Musk to fan out across federal agencies seeking ways to cut spending, reduce the size of the federal work force and bring more efficiency to the bureaucracy. Most of those working on the initiative were recruited by Mr. Musk and his aides.

Similar DOGE teams have begun demanding access to data and systems at other federal agencies, but...

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Humor
KEYWORDS: alanrappeport; andrewduehren; davidlebryk; doge; dogeteams; efficiency; elon; elonmusk; governmentefficiency; maggiehaberman; scottbessent; theodoreschleifer; trumpmas
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1 posted on 02/01/2025 6:44:37 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Excellent, just excellent. We may all have to suffer for a while, but it WILL be better after they slash the numbers in the Federal government.


2 posted on 02/01/2025 6:49:06 PM PST by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Reminds me of when in Die Hard the message I have a machine gun now arrives by elevator.


3 posted on 02/01/2025 6:49:37 PM PST by xp38
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The Barbarians are inside the gates!!!!

Balin, NYT


4 posted on 02/01/2025 6:49:58 PM PST by JJBookman (Democrats = Party of DEI bums)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Well I dont’t like it. I don’t trust Musk.


5 posted on 02/01/2025 6:50:40 PM PST by Darth Gill
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I can’t wait to see what Musk flushes out of this rats nest.

I’ll bet tens of billions were sent without the slightest safeguards in place.

L


6 posted on 02/01/2025 6:51:23 PM PST by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Darth Gill

“Well I dont’t like it..”

The fainting couch is down the hall to your left. Don’t forget your pearls.

“I don’t trust Musk.”

Do you trust President Trump?

L


7 posted on 02/01/2025 6:52:50 PM PST by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Darth Gill
I don’t trust Musk.

Without Musk's purchase of Twitter and reinstatement of Trump and hundreds of other conservative Twittees, Trump would never have been reelected.

8 posted on 02/01/2025 6:54:11 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is █████ ██ ████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ████. FJB.)
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To: Darth Gill

Well I dont’t like it. I don’t trust Musk.


You have been reading too much fake news from the media...................and believing it.


9 posted on 02/01/2025 6:55:59 PM PST by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere)
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To: MeneMeneTekelUpharsin

We’ll see soon just how much patience middle America will have during this process.


10 posted on 02/01/2025 6:56:20 PM PST by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: Darth Gill

OH NO! ANYWAY


11 posted on 02/01/2025 6:57:39 PM PST by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Nice!! Slash away, DOGE!


12 posted on 02/01/2025 6:58:00 PM PST by toddausauras
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Now we can find out if and how much of our money was given to terrorists.


13 posted on 02/01/2025 7:02:26 PM PST by virgil (The evil that men do lives after them )
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To: Darth Gill

Yeah I think Musk can be bought! Just like Trump! /sarc


14 posted on 02/01/2025 7:02:58 PM PST by xp38
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To: virgil

This is more fun by the day.


15 posted on 02/01/2025 7:03:07 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is █████ ██ ████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ████. FJB.)
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To: Lurker

Absolutely. He never makes mistakes in hiring. Omarosa should be back any day now.


16 posted on 02/01/2025 7:03:41 PM PST by bigdaddy45
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To: xp38

“Ho ho ho!”


17 posted on 02/01/2025 7:05:15 PM PST by kiryandil (No one in AZ that voted for Trump voted for Gallego )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“the so-called Department of Government Efficiency”

Sounds like the NY Slimes is bothered by this...


18 posted on 02/01/2025 7:05:38 PM PST by God luvs America (6young 3.5 million pay no income tax and vote for DemoKrats...)
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To: xp38

19 posted on 02/01/2025 7:06:30 PM PST by BipolarBob (I've had enough! I'm moving to Slab City to be free.)
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To: HANG THE EXPENSE; Darth Gill

20 posted on 02/01/2025 7:06:43 PM PST by kiryandil (No one in AZ that voted for Trump voted for Gallego )
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