Elon Musk's access to Treasury's payment system is raising alarms. Here's what to know.

With Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gaining control of the Treasury Department's payment system, consumer advocates and Democratic lawmakers are raising alarms about the group's access to the federal government's financial spigot, as well as sensitive data such as the Social Security numbers of most taxpayers.

DOGE, a Trump administration task force assigned to find ways to reduce federal spending, now has access to a Treasury unit called the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which disburses trillions in payments each year, including Social Security checks and federal salaries, according to the Associated Press.

Musk's access to the payment system is raising concerns as it comes just days after the White House ordered a broad freeze on federal grants and loans, causing confusion within federal assistance programs, at nonprofits and among Americans receiving government aid. That same day, state Medicaid programs said they were locked out of the Department of Health and Human Services system used to track and disburse money.