Wyden demands answers on Musk personnel seeking access to U.S. Treasury system

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KATU) — Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has called for an explanation from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent following reports that individuals linked to Elon Musk attempted to gain access to a highly sensitive Treasury Department payment system. The system, which is managed by non-political staff, handles trillions of dollars annually, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax credits, and payments to government contractors, some of which compete with Musk-owned companies.

“To put it bluntly, these payment systems simply cannot fail, and any politically-motivated meddling in them risks severe damage to our country and the economy,” Wyden wrote in a letter to Bessent. “I am deeply concerned that following the federal grant and loan freeze earlier this week, these officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment systems to illegally withhold payments to any number of programs.”

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Wyden expressed further concern about Musk’s business ties to China, stating, “The press has previously reported that Musk was denied a high-level clearance to access the government’s most sensitive secrets. I am concerned that Musk’s enormous business operation in China…endangers U.S. cybersecurity and creates conflicts of interest that make his access to these systems a national security risk.”

Wyden’s letter posed several questions to the Treasury Department, including whether officials linked to Musk or DOGE have requested or been granted access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems, and if so, under what legal authority and for what purpose. The senator also inquired about any vetting processes conducted by the Treasury Department regarding potential conflicts of interest due to Musk’s business operations in China.