A bombshell report from Reuters has revealed that Elon Musk has locked U.S. government officials out of key data systems containing personal information on millions of federal employees.
According to the report, which cites two anonymous federal agents, senior officials at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) suddenly lost access to crucial department databases. The move reportedly stems from Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a role assigned to him by former President Donald Trump to “curb government spending.”
Despite DOGE’s limited authority over OPM and other federal agencies, a “team of current and former” Musk employees have embedded themselves deep within the agency since Trump took office on Jan. 20. Since the inauguration DOGE has morphed from a non-governement advisory panel into the rebranded tech unit inside the White House.
According to the report, the team set up sofa beds in the OPM Director’s office to work around the clock, securing access to a massive database known as Enterprise Human Resources Integration. This system holds sensitive information, including birth dates, Social Security numbers, performance appraisals, home addresses, pay grades, and service records of government employees.
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As a result, tracking Musk and his allies’ activities within OPM has become significantly more difficult.
This comes as Trump and Musk push for all 2.2 million federal employees to accept deferred resignations, aiming to replace them with MAGA loyalists. Meanwhile, on Friday, David A. Lebryk, the highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department, reportedly resigned after refusing to grant Musk’s operatives access to the government’s entire payment system — responsible for processing $6 trillion in payments annually.
Musk’s exact motivations for seeking unfettered access to the Treasury Department and government personnel databases remain unclear. However, his actions suggest a push for sweeping control over federal systems, granting him unprecedented influence under the guise of cutting $2 billion from government spending.
With access to these systems, Musk could bypass legal hurdles and potentially shut off funding for social programs opposed by him and Trump, further expanding his grip on federal operations.
Topics
Elon Musk
Government
