Summary

Elon Musk vowed to cancel government grants after allegedly gaining access to the US Treasury’s payments system, triggering the abrupt resignation of a senior official.

Musk, who leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), claimed his team found Treasury officials approving payments without scrutiny.

Democrats, including Sen. Ron Wyden, raised alarms over Musk’s influence on federal funds. Treasury access concerns intensified after Trump ally Michael Flynn posted grant payments online.

Musk’s authority to halt payments remains unclear, and the Treasury has not responded to inquiries.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    51 minutes ago

    When this nation was strong we executed people for less than what this freak is doing.

  • HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    Democrats, including Sen. Ron Wyden, raised alarms over Musk’s influence on federal funds. Treasury access concerns intensified after Trump ally Michael Flynn posted grant payments online.

    That’s funny, the only thing I get when I search for “Michael Flynn grant payments” are about payments Flynn received from the Russian government

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    17 hours ago

    Who the fuck even is this guy? No vetting process, no confirmation hearings, nothing.

    And he’s just given this kind of power?

    This country is so very, very fucked. Thanks to donvict’s base and a huge assist from the apathetic and the “bothsides” idiots.

    • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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      47 minutes ago

      I think a lot of people still, even now, believe that the statement “this country is fucked” is a bit overboard.

      They don’t grasp that the writing is on the wall. America literally is fucked. The point of no return has already been passed. What you’re witnessing is the wholesale sellout of America to the wealthy, who will remain in power indefinitely, and a system way too far gone to do anything about it.

      It’s over.

      Next stop, Russia 2.0. In the end, we really weren’t any better than them.

    • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
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      16 hours ago

      Most Americans are sleepwalking. As much as they’re going to hurt other countries they’re going to hurt Americans the most.

  • Zier@fedia.io
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    17 hours ago

    He’s not an employee of the Federal Government. This is completely illegal. And he’s a psychopathic junkie so…

  • hypna@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    There have been two court orders requiring that payments continue normally. It looks like Musk has decided that court orders do not bind him. It hasn’t even been two weeks and already we’re at the constitutional crisis?

    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      It’s only a constitutional crisis if anyone will pursue it.

      If court orders don’t apply and higher institutions do nothing, well, there is no crisis.

    • mokus
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      13 hours ago

      We’re setting up the “Mr Burns’ diseases” system. We’ll just have every constitutional crisis in existence all at once, and they’ll balance each other out! 🤦‍♀️

      • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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        18 hours ago

        The system in its infinite wisdom prevents poor and rich alike from begging on the streets…

  • ninjabard@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    Can we please send this fuckwit back to where he comes from? Like, the seventh circle of Hell?

  • leadore@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    Democrats “raised alarms”? Gee thanks, that’ll take care of it you pathetic wimps. Why haven’t they brought an immediate case to the Supreme Court for an emergency ruling? A non-elected, non-nominated or confirmed by Senate (and we should of course note) immigrant has been given access to the United States Treasury. This is insane.

    • Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      13 hours ago

      It would be ironic if this is what ends up with him facing some consequences. It’ll be interesting how long the house allows him to usurp their authority.

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    17 hours ago

    So if he’s acting as a government official doesn’t he need to be confirmed by Congress?

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      LOL, but we have Worthington’s Law here in 'merica. It overrides any of that pesky Constitutional and/or democratic norms stuff…

    • desktop_user
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      16 hours ago

      you would think so… but then again he could just be an independent contractor or some such legaly distinct thing.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    The world’s richest man, who bankrolled Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and was tasked by the president with running the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, boasted on his social media site X that he was “rapidly shutting down . . . illegal payments” after a list of grants to Lutheran organisations was posted online.

    The threat came after Musk appeared to confirm on Saturday that DOGE had access to the Treasury system, which disperses trillions of dollars each year, including social security payments.

    He justified the move by claiming his team discovered “that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups”.

    The system has been run by career civil servants and the Treasury already has an in-house team tasked with identifying fraudulent payments. A source with knowledge of the situation said that DOGE representatives did not have the authority to cut payments, only to read the data.

    Senator Ron Wyden, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said his office had been told that Treasury secretary Scott Bessent had granted DOGE “full” access to the system.

    Lutherans!! Well, I’m glad Elmo Nazi shut that shit down! Who knows how long those shady Lutherans were growing fat off the Treasury’s ample, juicy teats!

    Srs tho, omfg the batshit is everywhere.

    • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      They’re inclusive of queer people and allow them to be pastors. They embrace immigrants. I’m an atheist but they seem ok, so yeah they’re a target.

    • thesohoriots@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Ninety-five Theses are too many. He wants DOGE to streamline it to four and take out that pesky objection to indulgences.