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Treasury Department says DOGE will have ‘read-only’ access to payment systems in letter to Congress

Panelists Ben Ferguson and Stacy Washington discuss how Democrats are reacting to DOGE looking into government spending on ‘The Bottom Line.’

A Treasury Department official told members of Congress on Tuesday that a tech executive working with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, will have “read-only access” to the government’s payment system, stressing that it is committed to safeguarding the system after DOGE was granted access.

The official penned a letter in response to lawmakers who were concerned that DOGE’s access to the government’s payment system for the federal government could lead to security risks or missed payments for various programs, including Social Security and Medicare.

Lawmakers have also expressed concerns that billionaire Elon Musk, who leads DOGE, possesses too much power within the U.S. government and that he says on his social media platform X that DOGE will shut down payments to some organizations, such as a Lutheran charity.

The letter notes that the ongoing review of the Treasury’s systems has “not caused payments for obligations such as Social Security and Medicare to be delayed or re-routed” and that Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause was working at Treasury as a “special government employee,” which means rules on ethics and financial disclosures are less strict than for other government employees.

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Elon Musk is seen in the U.S. Capitol after a meeting with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., while on the Hill to talk about President-elect Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” on Thursday, December 5, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Krause is conducting the review in coordination with career treasury officials, the letter said.

“Currently, Treasury staff members working with Tom Krause, a Treasury employee, will have read-only access to the coded data of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems in order to continue this operational efficiency assessment,” the letter reads. “This is similar to the kind of access that Treasury provides to individuals reviewing Treasury systems, such as auditors, and that follows practices associated with protecting the integrity of the systems and business processes.”

“Treasury will continue its efforts to promote efficiency and effectiveness in its operations, and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse,” it adds.

The Treasury’s payments are managed by its Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which disburses nearly 90% of all federal payments and conducts more than 1.2 billion transactions per year.

The official said the purpose of the review is to “maximize payment integrity for agencies and the public.”

“Treasury has no higher obligation than managing the government’s finances on behalf of the American people, and its payments system is critical to that process,” the letter reads. “In keeping with that mission, Treasury is committed to safeguarding the integrity and security of the system, given the implications of any compromise or disruption to the U.S. economy.”

The U.S. Treasury Building, photographed on Friday, July 16, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

While the Treasury official said DOGE has just “read-only access” to the payments systems, some Democrats remain skeptical.

“Some Republicans are trying to suggest that Musk only has ‘viewing access’ to Treasury’s highly sensitive payment system as if that’s acceptable either,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement.

“But why on earth should we believe that — particularly when he is saying the exact opposite loudly and repeatedly for everyone to see?” Murray, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, added.

A group of labor unions and advocates have filed a lawsuit attempting to block the Treasury from handing over access to the payment systems to DOGE.

“The scale of the intrusion into individuals’ privacy is massive and unprecedented,” the lawsuit reads. “People who must share information with the federal government should not be forced to share information with Elon Musk or his ‘DOGE.’ And federal law says they do not have to.”

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The U.S. Treasury Department building is seen in Washington, D.C., January 19, 2023. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Some congressional Democrats decided to test if they would be granted access to the Treasury since DOGE was given access, with Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., writing on X: “We are members of Congress at the Treasury Department. We want to be let in to provide oversight on behalf of our constituents.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung responded: “Look at these losers. Literally everything they do is for social media clout.”

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DOGE’s access to the payment systems came after the Treasury’s Acting Deputy Secretary David Lebryk resigned from the agency. Lebryk resigned from his position after DOGE requested access to sensitive Treasury data, according to The Washington Post.

“The Fiscal Service performs some of the most vital functions in government,” Lebryk said in a letter to Treasury employees. “Our work may be unknown to most of the public, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t exceptionally important. I am grateful for having been able to work alongside some of the nation’s best and most talented operations staff.”

February 5, 2025
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February 5, 2025
Musk rips ‘fraudulent’ Treasury payments as reports mount DOGE has access to federal payment system

Tech billionaire Elon Musk ripped alleged “fraudulent” Treasury payments on Saturday as reports circulated that the Department of Government Efficiency has gained acces to the federal government’s payment system as the second Trump administration continues cutting what they say is government fat and overspending.

“The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups. They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once,” Musk, the chair of DOGE, posted early Saturday morning to X.

Musk’s post came just ahead of the New York Times reporting Saturday afternoon that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted DOGE personnel access to the payment system. The Treasury spends roughly $6 trillion per year on payments for federal agencies.

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, posted to social media on Saturday that he has also been informed that DOGE was granted access to the system.

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Elon Musk is heading the Department of Government Efficiency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Sources tell my office that Treasury Secretary Bessent has granted DOGE *full* access to this system. Social Security and Medicare benefits, grants, payments to government contractors, including those that compete directly with Musk’s own companies. All of it,” Wyden posted to social media site BlueSky on Saturday evening.

DOGE’s reported access to the payment system comes after the Washington Post reported on Friday that the former acting director of the Treasury, David A. Lebryk, was planning to exit the finance department of the federal government following a clash over granting DOGE access to its payment system. Lebryk oversaw the Treasury Department in the days between President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 and Bessent’s confirmation to lead the department on Jan. 27.

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On Friday, reports also spread that civil servants within the Office of Personnel Management, which works as the federal government’s HR department, were reportedly locked from the office’s computer systems by DOGE.

Musk quipped on X on Saturday that working over the weekend is a “superpower,” where the “opposing team” disappear for two days.

“Very few in the bureaucracy actually work the weekend, so it’s like the opposing team just leaves the field for 2 days! Working the weekend is a superpower,” he posted.

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Trump officially created DOGE via an executive order signed on his first day in office. The EO outlines that government agency chiefs provide DOGE with access to internal government platforms such as, “software systems, and IT systems.”

“Agency Heads shall take all necessary steps, in coordination with the USDS Administrator and to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure USDS has full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems. USDS shall adhere to rigorous data protection standards,” the executive order reads.

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump and Musk had long previewed the creation of DOGE while on the campaign trail, championing that the team would weed out overspending and fraud within the federal government. DOGE is not a government department, but instead operates as a team within the Trump administration.

Before Trump’s win in November, Musk hosted the Republican president for an interview on X in August, where Musk railed against government overspending and inflation that has gripped the nation in recent years.

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk arrive to attend a viewing of the launch of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“A lot of people just don’t understand where inflation comes from. Inflation comes from government overspending because the checks never bounce when it’s written by the government. So if the government spends far more than it brings in, that increases the money supply. If the money supply increases faster than the rate of goods and services, that’s inflation,” Musk said during their conversation.

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“So really we need to reduce our government spending, and we need to re-examine… I think we need a government efficiency commission to say like, ‘Hey, where are we spending money that’s sensible. Where is it not sensible?’”

Since its official creation last month, DOGE’s X account has provided updates on its work to cut government spending, including announcing last week that it has cut more than $1 billion from federal spending through now-defunct diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and personnel.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Treasury Department on Sunday morning, but did not immediately receive replies.

February 2, 2025
Reagan National Airport has bothered lawmakers for years, but quick access to power has stalled change

Ask many of Congress’ frequent fliers, and they’ll tell you Ronald Reagan National Airport has sent up red flags for years.

“I’ve long been very, very nervous about congestion at Reagan National,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

“The congestion of the airspace around Reagan and D.C. as a whole definitely played a part in this,” said Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., a former firefighting pilot. “The sheer number of aircraft in the air is as high as it’s ever been.”

“A lot of aircraft transit up and down the Potomac,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut. “Getting in and out of certain areas. The Pentagon. Other military installations. Reagan right there in that highly trafficked area.”

“Whenever I’m at Reagan and I see new gates being built, the terminal getting larger, I realize that there will never be another inch of runway. The skies are pretty congested,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “I often think there’s too much activity for this small plot of land. And I’m sure there’ll be a reevaluation of all of that.”

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET

A JetBlue Airlines Airbus A320 jet flies past the U.S. Capitol dome as it comes in for a landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The nation’s worst air disaster in nearly a quarter-century spilled into the Potomac River just short of Washington’s Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. Sixty-seven people died after American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., collided with an Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter feet from the runway.

Aviation experts say flying in and out of Reagan National is one of the most complicated airports in the country. The approach from both the north and south is over water. Pilots must navigate a narrow corridor above the river – but not fly over the nearby Pentagon. That’s to say nothing of piercing Washington, D.C.’s super-protective airspace. The White House and U.S. Capitol are clearly visible when planes take off to the north.

Moreover, the airport is known for notoriously short runways. The runway on which the American Eagle flight attempted to land stretches a little more than 5,200 feet. Slightly less than a mile in length.

That’s not even the main runway. Standard commercial runways average around 13,000 feet. The longest runway at Reagan National is about 7,000 feet. Plus, all three runways cross one another. Such a configuration is rarely seen at modern airports.

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The midair crash between an American Airlines jet and Black Hawk military helicopter near Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., was seen on dashcam video from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. (Storyful)

Last spring, there were two incidents where planes nearly crashed into one another while crossing runways.

The runways are some of the most overused in the entire American flight system. The airport was designed to handle 14 million passengers annually. But that number spiked to 25 million in 2023. The airport accommodates a staggering 800 takeoffs and landings each day.

There were efforts to close Reagan National when Dulles International Airport opened in 1962. Dulles is a monstrosity of a campus. However, it resides nearly 30 miles from Washington, D.C., proper. The nation’s movers and shakers never gravitated to Dulles when it was so easy to fly into Reagan National, deplane, catch a cab and arrive at the State Department for a meeting 15 minutes later.

Lawmakers, aviation, national security officials and the Secret Service conducted serious conversations about permanently closing the airport after 9/11. It was thought that air traffic in and out of Reagan National posed too much of a risk to the seat of government. It wouldn’t take much for hijackers to commandeer an aircraft and reroute it to Capitol Hill.

After all, one plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. The fourth plane – which went down in a field near Shanksville, Penn. – was ultimately bound for the Capitol.

DC PLANE CRASH: POTOMAC RIVER DIVERS’ SEARCH FOR BODIES COMPLICATED BY CONDITIONS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL

Emergency workers recover debris from the Potomac River in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter, as seen from Virginia, Jan. 30, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

That said, advocates for maintaining Reagan National argued it was nearly impossible to hijack a plane taking off and immediately send it barreling toward the Capitol. It takes a while to engineer a hijacking. There was simply not enough time to execute such a plan seconds after takeoff.

Still, authorities shuttered Reagan National for more than three weeks following 9/11. New safety rules were in place once the airport re-opened. Planes couldn’t have more than 156 seats. All passengers were required to be seated a half-hour before landing. Air marshals patrolled most if not all flights in and out of the airport.

The feds loosened many of those restrictions anywhere from a few months to nearly four years after 9/11. But that didn’t diminish questions about the safety of this particular airport.

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However, proponents of maintaining Reagan National had some of the most powerful allies in the nation: Members of Congress.

Lawmakers keep insane schedules. In fact, the invention of the jet airplane contributed to such bedlam. Lawmakers are in high demand in their districts or states – and on Capitol Hill. That’s to say nothing of conferences in Aspen or Halifax – and glitzy fundraisers in New York or San Francisco. So air travel, coupled with access to a nearby airport, is paramount in the modern Congress.

The importance of aviation is even incorporated into the Congressional vernacular.

Mondays or Tuesdays are often deemed “fly-in” days. The House and Senate don’t truly get going until late in the day during the first day of the week. Thus, votes on Monday might not unfold until 5:30 pm et in the Senate and 6:30 in the House. Depending on if the House (and sometimes the Senate) convenes on a Monday or Tuesday, Thursdays and Friday are considered “getaway” days. The House might cut town by late morning or noon on a getaway day. If the Senate doesn’t toil for five days (which has happened a lot this year, but not this week), the last vote often hits around 2:15 or 2:30 pm. on a Thursday.

Thus, lawmakers have a vested interest in keeping Reagan National operational. Even after 9/11.

Congress reauthorized programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years in 2024. But one of the most contentious issues in the bill was whether Congress should authorize additional daily “slots” for Reagan National. New, regular flights commence in a few weeks to Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, San Antonio and San Francisco. Lawmakers have blessed an increase of about 50 additional daily “slots” at Reagan National since the turn of the century.

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It’s telling that only four senators opposed the FAA bill last year. All four were the local Washington, D.C., area senators: former Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., – who just retired – along with Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Kaine.

The Senate confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on a bipartisan vote Tuesday. Duffy faced a crisis by Wednesday night. By Friday, the new secretary tightened up airspace around Reagan National for helicopters.

But like everything in Washington, the key to Reagan National is all about access. It’s hard to find any major airport on the planet located so close to the levers of power.

And as long as the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a myriad of federal agencies and lobbying shops exist in Washington, it’s doubtful that Reagan National is going anywhere.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

February 1, 2025
Rosen, Ernst tag team bipartisan childcare bill to expand access, affordability

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is rolling out a new measure to ease the current childcare issues for families across the country due to lack of affordability.

To address the childcare crisis, the Nevada Democrat’s bill would allow certain nonprofit institutions that provide childcare to have access to loans through the Small Business Administration.

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Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is rolling out a new bipartisan bill that looks to make childcare more accessible and affordable. (Getty Images)

“The lack of affordable childcare options in our communities hurts hardworking families at a time when they are already being squeezed by rising costs,” Rosen said in a statement.

“Our bipartisan bill will help increase the number of childcare providers in Nevada and across the country by bolstering non-profits with access to much-needed federal resources, giving families greater access to care. I will continue working to lower costs of the everyday essentials that Nevadans rely on.”

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Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is chair of the Small Business Committee. (Reuters)

Rosen is introducing the Small Business Child Care Investment Act on Wednesday alongside Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair.

“Finding affordable and high-quality childcare is one of the most pressing issues facing small businesses looking to hire and retain capable staff,” Ernst said in a statement.

“As chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I’m proud to help alleviate the pressure on hardworking families, especially in rural areas,” Ernst added. “This commonsense legislation will clear the Washington red tape, expand options, and drive down costs in Iowa and across the country.”

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Rosen was re-elected in 2024. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The bipartisan bill would additionally let some nonprofit childcare providers access loan programs such as 7(a) and 504, which are eligible to be used for real estate, construction and remodeling, among other expenses.

According to Rosen’s office, the bill would create local jobs and give families more options. The access to loans would also help those institutions maintain their childcare operations and expand.

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The bill would make loans accessible to nonprofits that provide childcare. (iStock)

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Affordability and the strain of high inflation was a prevailing issue during the 2024 election, which saw President Donald Trump earn the support of most voters.

While Trump won in swing states, including Nevada, Rosen was one of a handful of Democrat senators who managed to get re-elected.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025
Mexico denies land access to US military plane

Mexico reportedly denied land access to a U.S. military plane slated to transport illegal immigrants to the country this week, a move highlighting tensions between the United States and its southern neighbor as the Trump administration continues to crack down on illegal migrants.

Citing two U.S. defense officials and a third person familiar with the situation, NBC News reported that two Air Force C-17s bound for Guatemala carrying about 80 people each flew deportees Thursday night out of the U.S.

A third flight bound for Mexico never took off after Mexico declined to consent to the landing, the report said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

People board a U.S. military aircraft. The White House announced Friday that “deportation flights have begun” in the U.S. (White House)

Flying deportees into a foreign country requires the cooperation of that nation’s government.

It wasn’t clear why Mexico blocked the flight, but tensions over the Trump administration’s tough illegal immigration policies have strained relations between the countries.

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President Claudia Sheinbaum and President Donald Trump (Getty Images)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said she opposes Trump’s executive orders to combat illegal immigration, including reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims play out in the U.S.

Before taking office this week, Trump promised mass deportations, initially targeting criminal illegal immigrants and tougher immigration standards and vetting procedures.

Trump also ordered 1,500 active duty troops to the southern border to boost the military presence there.

Migrants deported from the U.S. to Mexico wave as they are transported to a shelter and cross El Chaparral pedestrian border bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, Jan. 21, 2025. (Felix Marquez/AP)

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In recent days, federal immigration authorities have made hundreds of arrests, including gang members and others with criminal histories, as part of Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

January 25, 2025