According to five legislators who attended a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, Finance Minister Scott Bessent privately assured Republican lawmakers on Monday (February 3) that Elon Musk and his team do not control a sensitive government system handling tens of billions of dollars in payments.
Bessent’s statement came after a two-hour meeting with Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee, as relayed by participating lawmakers who were granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door session.
On Monday evening, Bessent engaged in a two-hour discussion with Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee. Upon leaving, Bessent declined to comment on the matter.
Rumors had circulated that Musk was attempting to make significant inroads into federal government departments. Last weekend, Bessent approved Musk’s Government Efficiency Team to access the payment network, sparking controversy. Democrats argue that this move represents unprecedented political interference in the federal government’s funding allocation.
Senior Republican member of the Financial Services Committee, Andy Barr from Kentucky, expressed confidence after the closed-door discussion, stating that Bessent’s speech left Republican lawmakers “very reassured.”
Barr remarked that “it is the Treasury Department that controls the financial payment system” and that Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team focuses on “reviewing processes to ensure accountability, transparency, traceability, and to ensure there are no issues of missing payments, payment omissions, or taxpayer funds being lost.”
French Hill, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee from Arkansas, mentioned in post-dinner interviews that “DOGE will propose efficiency suggestions and provide recommendations on how to use IT systems more effectively to reduce fraud, enhance payment reliability, accuracy, and timeliness, which are all valuable suggestions.”
Hill added, “Clearly, they (referring to the Treasury Department) need the work of this department (referring to DOGE), and if legislative action is needed, it would require approval from Congress, but these individuals (referring to DOGE) are able to provide the advantage of interdepartmental analysis to improve government operations from an external perspective.”
Politico reported last Saturday (February 1) that Bessent had signed off on a plan allowing Tom Krause, CEO of Cloud Software Group, to lead a team with “read-only” access to the Treasury Department’s payment system. Krause currently works for the Treasury Department and serves as a contact for Musk’s DOGE team, operating outside the U.S. Digital Service.
Democrats criticized the Trump administration for granting Musk allies access to the federal government’s payment system, condemning it as an illegal means to prevent approved funding from reaching its intended recipients. They argue that this jeopardizes the payment system on which millions of Americans rely, exposing their personal banking information and identifiable data to Musk’s team.
Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts claimed on Monday that “Elon controls our entire payment system, has the authority to demand the opening of the payment system for his friends or to close it for anyone he disapproves of, deciding alone who gets compensated and who doesn’t.”
Chief Democratic Senator of the Appropriations Committee, Patty Murray from Washington, refuted the claim that Musk allies’ access to the payment system is as limited as Republicans and the government assert.
Murray questioned, “Why should we believe this claim, especially when he loudly and repeatedly says the complete opposite, for everyone to hear?”
In recent days, Musk stated on X that his DOGE team is “swiftly stopping” payments to Lutheran Charities serving illegal immigrants. Musk also hinted that professional Treasury officials had violated laws in approving certain payments and sanctioned payments to known fraudulent and terrorist organizations.
Earlier on Monday, a federal employees union requested a federal court to halt Musk’s team from accessing vast government databases, but Bessent assured lawmakers that Musk and his team cannot control the Treasury’s primary systems.
A Republican legislator stated, “It is the Treasury Secretary who controls all aspects of the Treasury Department.” The legislator participated in the closed-door meeting but requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information discussed.
Representative Barr also mentioned that Bessent discussed financial regulation and Bessent’s new role as Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with lawmakers.
On Monday, other Republican lawmakers rebutted Democratic criticisms that Musk and his team might misuse the system to shut down the payment system American rely on.
Bernie Moreno, a Republican Senator from Ohio, stated, “They (referring to DOGE) must know where the money is going, ensuring that funds are spent in accordance with the will of Congress and the President. Sometimes, you need to dive into the actual payment system because that’s the only way to avoid receiving incorrect information, which many bureaucrats are prone to receiving.”
Billionaire Musk was authorized by Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to streamline the size of the federal government.
According to anonymous White House officials cited by the Associated Press on February 3, Musk is working for President Trump as a “special government employee,” holding a government email address and office space within the White House.
Sources informed Reuters that over the weekend, two senior security officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development were dismissed for attempting to block Musk’s DOGE representative from accessing restricted areas of the facility. Musk described the agency as “beyond redemption.”
Trump voiced support for Musk’s work. According to USA Today, President Trump stated in the Oval Office on Monday that he agrees with “most” of Musk’s measures.
Trump remarked, “I think Elon is doing a great job; he’s good at cutting costs. Sometimes we don’t see eye to eye, and we won’t completely follow his ideas, but I think he’s doing great.”
Trump added, “Elon cannot and will not do anything without our approval, and we will approve as appropriate. If it’s not right, we won’t approve it, but he will report back to us. He’s passionate about it, which impresses me.”
(This article references reporting by Politico)