‘Every single person… should be alarmed’: Elon Musk allegedly has access to Medicare and Medicaid systems
Elon Musk is tightening his hold on the federal government.
Employees from the Musk-run agency DOGE recently gained access to sensitive information maintained by the U.S. Treasury. While the extent of the DOGE staffers’ access isn’t known, some fear that Musk may be able to access the Medicare and Medicaid systems under Treasury control. One X user expressed their concern:
Claire S. isn’t alone in their concern.
According to CBS, DOGE now has access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, a system that distributes trillions of dollars worth of government money to Medicare and Social Security recipients, along with federal employees. The news drew alarm bells from Democratic lawmakers including Elizabeth Warren, who wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the Trump administration could now “unilaterally and illegally cut off payments for millions of Americans”. The letter goes on to say that the “financial security of families and businesses ” of millions of Americans could now become subject to the “whims” of Elon Musk and other DOGE officials.
The Treasury Department maintains that Musk and his employees currently have “read only” access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s database, and this information comes courtesy of the Department’s current head Tom Krause. The former head of the Treasury Department David Lebryk resigned from his position after being placed on administrative leave, which occurred after he denied DOGE entry into the Treasury’s database. Lebryk isn’t the only government employee placed on administrative leave after refusing DOGE’s requests. The head of security for the government’s humanitarian aid agency USAID was given the same treatment along with his deputy after the pair attempted to block DOGE staffers from accessing the organization’s files. According to sources at the scene, some of the DOGE employees lacked the necessary security clearance to access the information they sought.
While Musk is not and has never been an elected official, the Trump administration has designated him a “special government employee“—meaning that he is not a federal employee but is also not a volunteer. According to the Justice Department, a special government employee is an unpaid employee “who works, or is expected to work, for the government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period.” The world’s richest man is reportedly not being paid to work in the Trump administration. Nevertheless, Musk’s vast assets are directly influenced by Trump administration policy, and his electric car company Tesla took a hit just as Trump’s now postponed tariff policies were meant to take effect.
Musk’s unprecedented level of access to sensitive government information comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze federal funds—a move that was since reversed after it generated widespread confusion and backlash. According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the funding freeze attempt was made to root out “transgenderism and wokeness” from federal agencies. The funding freeze, along with DOGE’s efforts to gain access to sensitive government systems, appear to be part of the greater Trump administration agenda to reshape the federal government in a conservative image.
According to U.S. government workers, Musk and Trump’s efforts are creating a culture of “fear” and “madness” in the federal workplace. Employees worry that they could lose their jobs at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, the American people are unable to vote against Elon Musk out his special employee job—he was never voted in.
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