Congress needs to step up. They also need to ensure they have robust and appropriate mechanisms to:
Investigate, and to be able to do so rapidly, seizing evidence if needed. Enforce, and arrest if needed. Protect themselves. Some of the members of Congress who have questioned Trump are seeing a ramp-up in threats of a scale and nature that they have never seen before. |
This. I picture them salivating. |
That doesn't matter. Just bring able to see the government ledger alone provides unprecedented access to potentially sensitive info. From an ethics standpoint, it is also terrible, because Musk and DOGE could potentially see any govt contracts being paid out to any of Musks' business rivals. You can also peice together all sorts of stories by simply seeing which vendors the govt may be working with. For example, of the govt is buying all sorts of supplies form very specific vendors, you might be able to figure out which kinds of weapons they're working on. It's insane a guy and a crew with no appropriate clearance are accessing this stuff. Oh, and all of our bank account info too. |
How can you possibly know or guarantee he only has read-only access? The system owners have been locked out of the system and no longer have control or insight to know what access Musk has, or what he's in there doing. Musk has been out there trumpeting about CANCELLING billions in funds. Doesn't sound like "read only." ![]() |
According to this article it’s read only with “supervised access”
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/elon-musks-doge-getting-access-to-payment-system-that-doles-out-trillions-to-americans-5625adf0?st=VyVTmp&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1FXSa1tryV3N9SrAxFxNevyh19HrM8TVFf8X8j3J_70hwAS4T9az2AThE_aem_mHJupnQnLjZWMcA1N9OeyA Granted this could change but we need to play the long game. Just my opinion |
Whoever is supervising his access is doing a lousy job - permitting all this tweeting. |
“A person familiar with the arrangement said DOGE representatives won’t have direct authority to stop individual payments or make other changes, describing their access as “read only.” Bessent approved the arrangement on the condition that the DOGE representatives’ activity be documented and monitored. DOGE representatives intend to review the overall efficiency of the payment system, the person said” |
Totally agree!!! So unprofessional and just trying to create panic, it seems like. |
The SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY Bessent should issue a public statement to this effect. But it's not really true and he's not really the boss, right? |
So, now that Musk is in charge at Treasury, what is he going to do about managing the outflow so as to prolong funds before the impact of the debt ceiling hits? |
“Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts sent a letter on Monday to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demanding answers for why the so-called Department of Government Efficiency was granted access to the federal payments system, giving Elon Musk and his team a powerful tool that could be used to track and potentially limit government spending. The letter is a sign of mounting outrage among Democrats over the unorthodox efforts that the Trump administration and Mr. Musk are preparing to take control of how congressionally approved funds are spent. The questions come after a career civil servant named David Lebryk abruptly resigned on Friday after requests to grant Mr. Musk’s lieutenants access to Treasury’s payment system.“ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/warren-bessent-treasury-musk-doge.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uE4.TnKd.orjet1OEEZR-&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0eb90w3OGJfhvtlKB6mnEEyVgkZPgLIBCy9BJp35PhVN0RyUMNJl2Kia0_aem_TpTUpl9nMAhV9M1B_WV_cQ |
America’s heartland will be pleased about the ag cuts. /s And why so little from defense? |
Love seeing the FAA on there. It's not like we haven't had a domestic plane crash/disaster each day for the past week or anything. Absolute froot loop dinguses. |
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Question from the uninformed:
How are Musk and/or his minions accessing, controlling, manipulating or doing anything anywhere when AFAIK Doge is not an agency with an enabling act or authority or hierarchy, and at least minion-level personnel have to be hired pursuant to the Civil Service Act? |