Democrats request an inquiry into DOGE’s ability to use the Treasury’s payment infrastructure

WASHINGTON – There is a request from Democratic lawmakers for a Treasury Department investigation into the access granted to Elon Musk’s team to the government’s payment system. They express concerns about potential threats to the economy and national security, as well as the possible breach of laws safeguarding Americans’ privacy and tax information.

On Friday, the lawmakers wrote letters to Treasury’s deputy inspector general, the acting inspector general for tax administration, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who reached out to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The letters highlight the lack of transparency and public accountability regarding the access granted to the government’s financial system.

The payment system processes trillions of dollars annually, managing various transactions such as tax refunds and Social Security benefits. This situation raises concerns about the legality of the review conducted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The lead writers of the inspectors general letter, Warren and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have sounded multiple alarms about a review that largely remains shrouded from public scrutiny.

Democrats’ efforts to push back against spending cuts that President Donald Trump is seeking through DOGE could lead to a Washington showdown with possible broader repercussions. Any breakdown in the system could mean missed payments to people or even the sharing of sensitive personal data.

In Warren’s letter to Bessent, she says the secretary has “deflected and avoided key questions” so far and “provided information that appears to be flatly contradicted by new public reports.”

“The American people — including millions of families who are worried that you have jeopardized their Social Security payments, their Medicare payments, their local programs, and their economic security deserve straight answers,” Warren wrote.

A letter requesting an investigation would typically be sent to Treasury’s inspector general. However, Trump’s recent firing of about 17 independent inspectors general at government agencies leaves an oversight hole.

The Treasury Department has maintained that the review is merely about assessing the integrity of the system and that no changes to it are being made. But according to two people familiar with the process, Musk’s team began its inquiry looking for ways to suspend payments made by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which Trump and Musk are attempting to shutter.

Separately, labor unions and advocacy groups have sued to block the payments system review from proceeding because of concerns about its legality. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Thursday restricted DOGE’s read-only access of Treasury’s payment systems.

Also signing the letters were Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.