Treasury says Elon Musk's DOGE has "read only" access to payment systems

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team has been given "read only" access to the Treasury Department's federal payment system, and federal expenditures have not been affected, the Treasury said in a letter to Congress late Tuesday. 

The letter, from Jonathan Blum, a Treasury official, said that a review of the Treasury's Fiscal Service payment system has not caused "payments for obligations such as Social Security and Medicare to be delayed or re-routed."

"Treasury has no higher obligation than managing the government's finances on behalf of the American people, and its payments system is critical to that process," the letter read.