Warren, Wyden Secure Independent Treasury and Congressional Watchdog Investigations into DOGE’s Unprecedented Access to the Federal Government's Payment Systems
Response from Congressional Watchdog (PDF) | Response from Treasury IG (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – In response to a request from lawmakers led by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, the Treasury Inspector General and the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed that they will investigate Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent’s reported decision to grant access to sensitive government payment systems to employees of Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”
The Treasury Inspector General wrote that “We expect to begin our fieldwork immediately….we recognize the danger that improper access or inadequate controls can pose to the integrity of sensitive payment systems.” The GAO wrote, “Thank you for your letter requesting that [GAO] review reports indicating that Treasury Secretary granted Department of Government Efficiency employees unprecedented access to the federal government's payment systems…GAO accepts your request as work that is within the scope of its authority.”
These independent reviews follow the Treasury Department’s failure to provide complete and accurate information on who had access to sensitive payment systems, how this access was granted, and why it was granted. This week, it was revealed through new court filings that Treasury appears to have misled Congress and the American people about the scope of access to the payment systems — which ensure that tens of millions of Americans receive their Social Security checks, tax refunds, and Medicare benefits and handle millions of other government payments — and the potential risks posed to the integrity of Treasury operations.
Last week, the senators asked the Treasury IG to investigate whether Secretary Bessent or anyone else at the Department violated any laws, regulations, or policies that govern conflicts of interest or protect the confidentiality and handling of sensitive personal information. The senators also asked the GAO to investigate and determine which specific systems were accessed, which individuals have access to this sensitive information and whether they have the appropriate clearances, and to identify whether guardrails are in place to protect economic and national security and Americans’ privacy.
The American people – including millions of families who are worried that Secretary Bessent may have jeopardized their Social Security payments, their Medicare payments, their local programs, and their economic security – deserve straight answers to basic questions about how Treasury is safeguarding their information and the integrity of its systems.
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