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   Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:54:43 JST Nonilex

   Ridiculous who elected #ElonMusk anyway?
   
The highest-ranking career official at the #TreasuryDepartment is departing after a clash with surrogates of #billionaire Elon #Musk’s #DOGE who sought access to sensitive payment systems.

   #law #Treasury #economy #USpol #FederalAgencies #kleptocracy #plutocracy #broligarchy #tyranny #autocracy
   https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/01/31/elon-musk-treasury-department-payment-systems/

   • HistoPol (#HP) 🏴 🇺🇸 🏴 repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:54:53 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     #ElonMusk’s Department of Government Efficiency, originally conceived as a nongovernmental panel, has since replaced the US Digital Service.
     
The #ExecutiveOrder #Trump signed creating #DOGE also instructed all #FederalAgencies to ensure it has “full & prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, & IT systems,” which would appear to include the #Treasury payment systems.

     #law #economy #USpol #kleptocracy #plutocracy #broligarchy #tyranny #autocracy

     HistoPol (#HP) 🏴 🇺🇸 🏴 repeated this.
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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:54:53 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     …the possibility that *govt officials* [#Trump & #ElonMusk] might try to use the federal payments system—which essentially functions as the nation’s “checking book”—to enact a political agenda is unprecedented, said Mark Mazur, who served in senior #treasury roles during the Obama & Biden admins.
     
“This is a mechanical job—they pay #SocialSecurity benefits, they pay #vendors, whatever. It’s not one where there’s a role for nonmechanical things, at least from the career standpoint,” Mazur said.

     HistoPol (#HP) 🏴 🇺🇸 🏴 repeated this.
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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:54:54 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     The clash reflects an intensifying battle between #ElonMusk & #FederalAgencies as the #Trump admin nears the conclusion of its second week. #Musk has sought to exert sweeping control over the inner workings of the #USgovernment, installing longtime surrogates at several agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management, which essentially handles federal HR, & the General Services Admin, which manages #RealEstate. (Musk was seen on Thurs visiting #GSA….)

     #law #USpol #plutocracy #broligarchy

     HistoPol (#HP) 🏴 🇺🇸 🏴 repeated this.
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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:54:55 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     Typically only a small number of career ofcls control #Treasury’s payment systems. Run by the Bureau of #Fiscal Service, the sensitive systems control the flow of >$6T annually to #households, #businesses & more nationwide. …Hundreds of millions of people across the country rely on the systems, which…distribute #SocialSecurity & #Medicare benefits, #salaries for federal personnel, payments to govt #contractors & #grant recipients & #TaxRefunds, among tens of thousands of other functions.

     #Trump

     Warner Crocker and HistoPol (#HP) 🏴 🇺🇸 🏴 repeated this.
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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:54:56 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     #DavidLebryk, who served in nonpolitical roles at #Treasury for several decades, is expected to leave the agency soon. #Trump named Lebryk as acting secretary upon taking office last week. Lebryk had a dispute w/ #ElonMusk’s surrogates over access to the payment system the #US government uses to disburse trillions of dollars every year….

     #law #TreasuryDepartment #economy #USpol #FederalAgencies #kleptocracy #plutocracy #broligarchy #tyranny #autocracy

     Warner Crocker repeated this.
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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:54:56 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     Officials affiliated w/ #ElonMusk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” #DOGE have been asking since after the election for access to the system… — requests that were reiterated more recently, including after #Trump’s inauguration.
     
…When #ScottBessent was confirmed as #treasury secretary on Monday, #DavidLebryk ceased to be the acting agency head.

     #law #TreasuryDepartment #economy #USpol #FederalAgencies #kleptocracy #plutocracy #broligarchy #tyranny #autocracy

   • Embed this notice
     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:55:13 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     “Your whole job is to pay the #bills as they’re due. It’s never been used in a way to execute a partisan agenda. …You have to really put bad intentions in place for that to be the case,” Mazur said.

     In the 2023 fiscal year, the payment systems processed nearly 1.3B payments, accounting for about $5.4T, nearly 97% made electronically, according to the #Treasury Dept. Every payment was made on time.

     #law #economy #USpol #FederalAgencies #kleptocracy #plutocracy #broligarchy #tyranny #autocracy

   • Embed this notice
     Molly Cantrell-Kraig (mckra1g@mastodon.social)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:55:37 JST Molly Cantrell-Kraig

     in reply to

     @Nonilex

     Why grift from the rubes by hawking magic digital pictures and gold shoes when you can siphon from the source? By eliminating the middleman, Elon Musk and convicted felon President Donald Trump will be able to make a better profit.

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     Nonya Bidniss :CIAverified: (nonya_bidniss@infosec.exchange)'s status on Friday, 31-Jan-2025 22:56:13 JST Nonya Bidniss :CIAverified:

     in reply to

     @Nonilex Elon Musk's 21-year-old flunkies are going to slither in there and my pension after a career in natsec will go *poof* with no warning and there will be no number to call. Old people living on nothing but Social Security will suddenly be unable to pay rent on beat up studio apartments and be out on the street in the most precarious years of their lives. #corruption #criminal