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 ...
NeverTrump scum.
You forgot the “Ho. Ho. Ho.”
I wonder if we’ll be changing the name to USA-X?
He had a trial run with the Twitter Files.
It’s down the hall and to your left.
L
Well, "Government Efficiency" is an oxymoron, after all.
goddam self-serving corrupt and up until now unaccountable government… take a flamethrower to it, DOGE
“Well I dont’t like it. I don’t trust Musk.”
I wouldn’t either, if I was on the receiving end of Biden’s gifts.
50 million for rubbers for Muslims. They don’t use rubbers. They are to make babies and cover the world. 50 million. Sheesh.
Start with defunding Planned Parenthood, NPR and EVERY NGO!
It isn’t as if Musk needs the money.
What motive would he have to steal?
I bet that has some people cutting holes where they sit down.
Mostly, but not entirely. He’s made some bad decisions. I think handing this over to Musk is one. Time will tell, and I hope I’m wrong!
Wonder what Lebryk knew ...
“Well I dont’t like it. I don’t trust Musk.”
Trust Trump.
Musk was an integral part of Trump's campaign and helped him win, you can't say that this wasn't entirely predictable. I trust Trump and I trust Musk on this one.
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