Politics

People associated with Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” have been trying to access the U.S. government’s payment systems, according to a shocking new report from the Washington Post. And while it’s not clear why DOGE wants access, experts are alarmed because there’s basically no plausible explanation that doesn’t involve tinkering with critical government functions by sidestepping Congress.

The system is run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service and handles everything from Social Security and Medicare payments to salaries for federal employees. Literally “tens of thousands” of functions are paid through the system, according to the Post, including tax refunds. The system paid out about $5.4 trillion in the form of 1.3 billion payments last year.