Tag: payment

  • Judge extends order blocking Musk’s DOGE team from Treasury payment system

    Judge extends order blocking Musk’s DOGE team from Treasury payment system

    A federal judge on Friday extended a temporary order that blocks Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team from accessing payment systems within the Treasury Department. 

    The extension comes after 19 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over DOGE’s access to the payment system, which has information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information, and much more. 

    The lawsuit claims the Musk-run agency illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest. 

    TREASURY ‘MISTAKENLY’ GAVE MUSK DOGE WORKER ABILITY TO CHANGE PAYMENTS SYSTEM: COURT DOCS

    A federal judge on Friday extended a temporary order that blocks Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team from accessing payment systems within the Treasury Department. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

    The lawsuit was filed in New York by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office and includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. 

    TREASURY DEPARTMENT SAYS DOGE WILL HAVE ‘READ ONLY’ ACCESS TO PAYMENT SYSTEMS IN LETTER TO CONGRESS

    Treasury Department

    The lawsuit claims DOGE illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest.  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

    U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan on Friday said that she wasn’t going to issue a ruling yet on the attorneys general request for a longer preliminary injunction, leaving the temporary order issued last Saturday in place.

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told FOX Business last week that the concerns about DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department are not valid. 

    “DOGE is not going to fail,” he said. “They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.”

    New York Attorney General Letitia James

    The lawsuit was filed in New York by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (pictured) office and includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

    He continued, “At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched. We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is? But, in terms of payments being stopped, that is happening upstream at the department level.”

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    The newly-created DOGE aims to cut government waste and has been given access to more than a dozen government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education and the Department of Labor.

  • DOGE team member ‘mistakenly’ given ‘read/write permissions’ to payment system

    DOGE team member ‘mistakenly’ given ‘read/write permissions’ to payment system

    Marko Elez — who before resigning from the Treasury Department had been a member of Treasury’s Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) team — was “mistakenly” given “read/write permissions” on the Secure Payment System rather than “read-only,” Joseph Gioeli III of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service declared in a court filing.

    The filing is connected to a case in which President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were slapped with restrictions regarding who they can grant access to Treasury Department systems that hold “personally identifiable information and/or confidential financial information of payees[.]”

    “On the morning of February 6, it was discovered that Mr. Elez’s database access to SPS on February 5 had mistakenly been configured with read/write permissions instead of read-only. A forensic investigation was immediately initiated by database administrators to review all activities performed on that server and database,” Gioeli noted in his filing.

    But he explained that the issue was quickly addressed after it was uncovered.

    TREASURY DEPARTMENT SAYS DOGE WILL HAVE ‘READ ONLY’ ACCESS TO PAYMENT SYSTEMS IN LETTER TO CONGRESS

    Elon Musk speaks as President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

    “His access was promptly corrected to read-only, and he did not log into the system again after his initial virtual over-the shoulder session on February 5,” Gioeli noted.

    “To the best of our knowledge, Mr. Elez never knew of the fact that he briefly had read/write permissions for the SPS database, and never took any action to exercise the ‘write’ privileges in order to modify anything within the SPS database – indeed, he never logged in during the time that he had read/write privileges, other than during the virtual walk-through – and forensic analysis is currently underway to confirm this.”

    Fox News Digital reached out on Wednesday to the Treasury Department, the White House, a DOGE spokesperson and the U.S. Digital Service — which Trump, in an executive order, declared to be “publicly renamed as the United States DOGE Service” — but did not receive any responses in time for publication.

    TRUMP ADMIN FILES MOTION TO VACATE RESTRAINING ORDER PROHIBITING DOGE ACCESS TO TREASURY PAYMENT SYSTEMS

    Thomas H. Krause, Jr. indicated in a court filing that he is “employed as the Senior Advisor for Technology and Modernization at the Department of the Treasury,” and that the post “is currently unpaid,” but that he is “not seeking compensation” for the job.

    “I am also designated as a Special Government Employee (SGE),” Krause wrote, noting that “the Treasury Secretary delegated the performance of duties of the Fiscal Assistant Secretary to me, although I have not yet assumed those duties.”

    Krause said that he is currently “the only Treasury DOGE team member,” and that he is not a U.S. DOGE Service employee. 

    “Although I coordinate with officials at USDS/DOGE, provide them with regular updates on the team’s progress, and receive high-level policy direction from them, I am not an employee of USDS/DOGE,” Krause noted. 

    “A second Treasury DOGE team member, Marko Elez, began working at the Treasury Department on Jan. 21, 2025, but resigned from his role on February 6, 2025,” Krause indicated. “Marko Elez is a highly qualified software engineer who previously worked at several of Elon Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter).”

    Trump tasked business tycoon Elon Musk with spearheading the DOGE effort, which aims to root out government waste, fraud, and abuse.

    “As noted in the Gioeli Declaration, I understand from BFS that there was briefly an error that provided Mr. Elez read/write access to the SPS system, but that Mr. Elez did not access that system during that time, and was likely unaware that he had any such read/write access,” Krause stated in a footnote of his filing.

    TRUMP 100% DISAGREES WITH FEDERAL JUDGE’S ‘CRAZY’ RULING BLOCKING DOGE FROM TREASURY SYSTEM

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    The Wall Street Journal reported that Elez was tied to a deleted social media account that made racist remarks, such as “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity,” and “Normalize Indian hate.”

    But after Elez’s resignation, Vice President JD Vance advocated for reinstatement, noting in a post on X that he did not “think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life.”

    Musk responded, “He will be brought back. To err is human, to forgive divine.”

  • Receive a text saying you owe a toll payment? It’s a scam

    Receive a text saying you owe a toll payment? It’s a scam

    Americans are getting hit with toll collection scams regardless if they have driven through a toll plaza or even own a car. 

    Fraudsters have been trying to steal sensitive information from victims through smishing texts, claiming that they owe money for unpaid tolls. The messages will typically direct consumers to a link and alert them that they need to pay “overdue toll charges” in order to avoid late fees. 

    Smishing is when a scammer sends malicious messages to the victim though short texts to convince them into giving out sensitive information. 

    VISA REPORT HIGHLIGHTS EMERGING SCAMS TARGETING CONSUMERS AND TRAVELERS

    In some cases, the fraudster is pretending to be from E-ZPass. In one message, seen by FOX Business, the text claimed there were “excessive late fees” on a bill that needed to be paid by Feb. 12. The message also directs the victim to click a link. 

    A shot of a smishing text that is trying to convince victims to send money due to alleged unpaid tolls. (FOX Business / Fox News)

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning that this tactic is far more dangerous than just losing money.

    “Not only is the scammer trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity,” the FTC said in a previous statement.

    JOB SCAMS SURGED 118% IN 2023 DUE TO AI, WATCHDOG GROUP WARNS

    Scammers aren’t just targeting familiar companies like E-ZPass, either. They are “pretending to be tolling agencies from coast to coast and sending texts demanding money,” the agency said in a warning notice last month. 

    Toll booth signs

    Cash and E-ZPass signs on the New Jersey Turnpike. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

    The FBI has also issued warnings about this scam, given the number of complaints that rolled into its FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. In April 2024, the FBI said the center received over 2,000 complaints in one month alone reporting smishing texts representing road toll collection services from at least three states, indicating that the scam may be moving from state to state.

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    Here is how to protect yourself, according to the FTC: 

    1. Don’t click on any links or respond to unexpected texts. “Scammers want you to react quickly, but it’s best to stop and check it out,” the FTC said.

    2. Check to see if the text is legit by reaching out to the state’s tolling agency using a phone number or website they recognize.

    3. Delete unwanted text messages. The FTC says consumers should use their phone’s “report junk” option to report unwanted texts to their messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM). 

  • Judge modifies order allowing Senate-confirmed political appointees access to payment systems

    Judge modifies order allowing Senate-confirmed political appointees access to payment systems

    A New York federal judge modified a temporary restraining order Tuesday that prevented President Donald Trump and the Treasury Department from granting political appointees and special government employees access to the department’s payment systems.

    The amended order was issued by U.S District Judge Jeannette Vargas on Tuesday. 

    U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, an Obama appointee, previously issued a temporary restraining order Saturday that sided with 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems violates the law. 

    The lawsuit was spearheaded by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

    FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ELON MUSK’S DOGE FROM ACCESSING TREASURY RECORDS AFTER DEMOCRATIC AGS FILE LAWSUIT

    Special government employees, including Elon Musk, are still barred from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment system.  (Samuel Corum/Getty Images / Getty Images)

    “This morning, we won a court order blocking Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, from accessing Americans’ private data,” James wrote on X at the time. “Musk and his DOGE employees must destroy all records they’ve obtained. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: no one is above the law.”

    The Trump administration filed an emergency motion Sunday, saying the order “unnecessarily restricts Federal Reserve employees and outside contractors” from accessing the payment systems “to perform necessary routine processes and maintenance and provide operational support.”

    Both parties were ordered to meet that evening in an attempt to come to an agreement. Both sides ultimately agreed to modify the order, with the plaintiffs opposing any modification to the provision that barred political appointees’ access to the systems. 

    TRUMP, ELON MUSK BOND OVER PLASTIC STRAWS

    The amended order now gives Senate-confirmed political appointees access to the information. Special government employees, including Elon Musk, are still barred from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment system. 

    New York Attorney General Letitia James

    Hauppauge, N.Y.: New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks at a press conference in Hauppauge, New York on June 12, 2024.  (ohn Paraskevas/Newsday RM via Getty Images / Getty Images)

    “These unlawful injunctions are a continuation of the weaponization of justice against President Trump,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The White House will continue to fight these battles in court, and we expect to be vindicated. The President has every right to exercise his executive authority on behalf of the American people, who gave him a historic mandate to govern on November 5th.”

    Shortly after the initial order was handed down, Trump called the order “crazy” in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. 

    ELON MUSK WARNS FEDERAL RESERVE MAY FACE DOGE AUDIT

    “Nineteen states attorneys general filed a lawsuit, and early Saturday a judge agreed with them to restrict Elon Musk and his government efficiency team, DOGE, from accessing Treasury Department payment and data systems. They said there was a risk of ‘irreparable harm.’ What do you make of that? And does that slow you down and what you want to do?” Baier asked Trump in the interview clip. 

    Trump pumps fist at Michigan rally

    President Trump called the order “crazy” in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images / Getty Images)

    “No, I disagree with it 100%. I think it’s crazy. And we have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone into the government. You take a look at the USAID, the kind of fraud in there,” Trump responded. 

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    The parties are expected to reconvene Friday to revisit the matter. 

    Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

  • Trump admin files motion to vacate restraining order prohibiting DOGE access to Treasury payment systems

    Trump admin files motion to vacate restraining order prohibiting DOGE access to Treasury payment systems

    The Trump administration has filed a motion to vacate or modify a court’s temporary restraining order blocking the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and political appointees from accessing sensitive Treasury Department payment records.

    In the motion, Cloud Software Group, Inc. CEO Tom Krause argued that “it is important that high-level political appointees, such as the Treasury Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Chief of Staff, and Under Secretaries, retain the ability to attend briefings concerning information obtained from the data or systems from Treasury employees with appropriate access to the data or systems in order to perform their job duties.”

    Although Krause, who was working at Treasury as a special government employee, admitted that “these high-level officials do not ordinarily need to receive access to or review data from such systems,” he said an event could conceivably occur that could warrant them needing access.

    Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in a temporary restraining order on Saturday that “political appointees, special government employees and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department access to Treasury Department payment systems or any other data maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information.”

    FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LIMITED DOGE ACCESS TO SENSITIVE TREASURY DEPARTMENT PAYMENT SYSTEM RECORDS

    Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    Anyone covered under those categories who was given previous access to the sensitive data must “immediately destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems,” the judge said.

    This comes after a group of 19 attorneys general filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, the U.S. Treasury and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent alleging that the Trump Administration illegally provided DOGE with unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems.

    Kollar-Kotelly had earlier said in a temporary restraining order on Thursday that Treasury officials “will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the [Treasury] Bureau of Fiscal Service,” a program that handles an estimated 90% of federal payments.

    Elon Musk

    Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on October 26, 2024, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

    Thursday’s order came a day after the Justice Department agreed in a proposed court order to limit access to the sensitive records to only two special government employees within DOGE who will have read-only permission. Kollar-Kotelly approved the motion in a brief order on Thursday.

    The case in the Thursday order was brought by several government employee unions that sued over who could access the material as part of a government-wide evaluation of programs and systems led by DOGE. It argued that Bessent allowed DOGE improper access.

    ‘AMERICA HAS DOGE FEVER’: STATES FROM NEW JERSEY TO TEXAS DRAFT SIMILAR INITIATIVES AS FEDERAL LEADERS CELEBRATE

    Colleen Kollar-Kotelly

    Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly temporarily blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing certain Treasury Department payment records. (Associated Press)

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    Under that order, only Krause and Marko Elez — an engineer and former Musk company employee — were allowed continued access to Treasury’s Fiscal Service, but that changed with Saturday’s order.

    Krause and Elez were both named as special government employees in the Department of the Treasury, but Elez has since resigned.

  • Federal judge orders limited DOGE access to sensitive Treasury Department payment system records

    Federal judge orders limited DOGE access to sensitive Treasury Department payment system records

    A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from obtaining access to certain Treasury Department payment records.

    Treasury officials “will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the [Treasury] Bureau of Fiscal Service,” Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in a temporary restraining order.

    Elon Musk, the chair of DOGE, has been leading an investigation into USAID’s spending practices as the agency comes to a standstill. (Getty Images)

    This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

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

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

    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.

    TRUMP NAMES TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT AS ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU

    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

    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.”

    BILL GATES WEIGHS IN ON NEW TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, ELON MUSK’S ROLE

    The U.S. Treasury Department building

    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.”

  • Trump admin files motion to vacate restraining order prohibiting DOGE access to Treasury payment systems

    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. 

    DOGE ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $1B IN SAVINGS AFTER CANCELING 104 FEDERAL DEI CONTRACTS

    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. 

    TOP DOGE LAWMAKER SAYS TRUMP ‘ALREADY RACKING UP WINS FOR TAXPAYERS’ WITH EFFICIENCY INITIATIVES

    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. 

    ‘DOGE’-MEETS-CONGRESS: GOP LAWMAKER AARON BEAN LAUNCHES CAUCUS TO HELP MUSK ‘TAKE ON CRAZYTOWN’

    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 Trump

    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. 

    Elon Musk and Trump

    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. 

    MUSK RENEWS HARSH REBUKE OF DEMS WHO REJECTED DEPORTING SEX OFFENDERS: VOTE OUT ‘EVERY ONE’

    “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.