U.S. Department of the Treasury Fiscal Assistant Secretary David A. Lebryk is reportedly leaving following a clash with Elon Musk’s allies.
The disagreement involved a request by officials from the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for access to sensitive payment systems, The Washington Post reported Friday (Jan. 31), citing unnamed sources.
The exact nature of the dispute was unclear, but DOGE officials had been asking for access to the system since after the election, the report said.
Lebryk has spent decades in federal service and will step down soon, per the report.
President Donald Trump named Lebryk acting treasury secretary after taking office last week. Lebryk’s tenure as acting secretary ended this week when Scott Bessent, Trump’s pick for the top post, was confirmed by the Senate.
Created last week as part of Trump’s wave of executive orders, DOGE’s stated aim is to update federal software and technology to improve efficiency and productivity within the federal government. The department is expected to make its final recommendations for cuts by July 4 of next year.
The Treasury Department’s payment system is typically handled by a small number of career officials, per the Post report. Overseen by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, these systems control the flow of more than $6 trillion per year, covering things like Social Security and Medicare benefits, payments to government workers and contractors, and tax refunds.
Musk has shown a willingness to “break norms” to bring down the national debt, something he’s characterized as an existential threat to the United States, per the report.
However, Mark Mazur, who served in senior treasury roles during the President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden White Houses, said the notion of government officials using the federal payment system to carry out a political agenda is unheard of, the report said.
Meanwhile, this week also brought reports that Musk is considering using blockchain technology at DOGE, apparently floating the notion of employing a digital ledger to monitor federal spending, make payments, secure data and manage government buildings.