There are several reasons Musk wants to control Treasury payments. None of them are good.

Source: MSNBC

There are several reasons Musk wants to control Treasury payments. None of them are good.

Feb. 1, 2025, 6:00 AM EST
By Lindsay Owens, executive director of Groundwork Collaborative

It’s barely been two weeks, but Elon Musk’s attempts to run the federal government like one of his businesses have already resulted in a level of chaos and inefficiency we’ve never before seen in Washington.

Earlier this week, the White House took a page straight out of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s playbook and attempted to freeze federal funding for SNAP, Medicaid and other programs working families rely on — a move so disastrous that the courts intervened and the administration had to reverse course. Musk and his allies have also been busy firing the federal workforce, offering “deferred resignations” and replacing longtime civil servants with his personal lackeys. The Office of Personnel Management, the key staffing agency for the entire federal government, is being run by a cadre of Musk cronies.

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The Treasury’s payment system is responsible for delivering trillions in Social Security payments, Medicare benefits and more to millions of Americans across the country. It’s not yet entirely clear what Musk plans to do with this system, which has historically been overseen by a small number of career officials. But a few possibilities have emerged.

First, accessing the Treasury’s payment system could be a path to freezing government funding, as the administration attempted earlier this week. Musk could halt payments to programs like Medicaid, Meals on Wheels, Head Start and more, maneuvering around the courts. Musk has already directed his engineers to find ways to turn off the flow of money to programs he and President Donald Trump oppose. With the keys to the Treasury’s payment system, he can unilaterally cut off these funds right at the source.

Musk could also get his hands on the “Do Not Pay” system that lists individuals or contractors the government has blacklisted, ...

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Read more: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/musk-doge-treasury-payment-system-rcna190222