Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave Mr. Musk’s representatives at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency a powerful tool to monitor and potentially limit government spending.

The Treasury Department has agreed to give Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency access to a payment system that distributes trillions of dollars in entitlement benefits, grants and tax refunds to Americans each year.

Elon Musk and his government efficiency team have been granted access to the U.S. Treasury Department's payment system after a standoff with career official David Lebryk. Senator Ron Wyden expressed concerns about potential politically-motivated meddling in the system,