Musk's DOGE: An Attack on Democracy, Say Yellen and Four More Ex-Treasury Chiefs

The political landscape has been shaken by a group of five former treasury secretaries, including Janet Yellen, who have publicly criticized Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its alleged overreach. In a New York Times op-ed, the former secretaries, who served under Democratic presidents, expressed their concerns about the potential harm to the country's payment system and the integrity of federal commitments.

The former treasury secretaries, Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, Timothy Geithner, Jacob Lew, and Janet Yellen, co-authored the op-ed to raise awareness about the risks posed by DOGE's actions. They argued that the nation's payment system, operated by a small group of nonpartisan civil servants, has been compromised by political actors from DOGE. The op-ed alleges that these political actors lack training and experience to handle sensitive data, potentially exposing the system to risks of exposure, including to adversaries.

The former secretaries also emphasized the importance of the legislative branch's sole authority to pass laws concerning how and where federal dollars are spent. They cited Supreme Court justices who agreed with this logic and pointed out that the Treasury Department is not supposed to make determinations about which promises it will keep of the laws passed by Congress. The op-ed warned about the risks of arbitrary and capricious political control of federal payments, which would be unlawful and corrosive to democracy.

The concerns raised by the former treasury secretaries come amid a legal battle over DOGE's access to the Treasury Department's highly sensitive payment systems. A Treasury official confirmed that no federal payment blocks have occurred yet, but the former secretaries' op-ed highlights the potential risks and the need for transparency and accountability in the process.



The political dynamics between the Trump administration, Congress, and the judiciary are likely to influence the outcome of the legal battle over DOGE's access to the payment systems. The former treasury secretaries' concerns about the potential harm to the country's payment system and the integrity of federal commitments underscore the importance of checks and balances in the U.S. government. The broader political landscape could be significantly influenced by the resolution of this dispute, as it may set important precedents for the balance of power between the branches and the protection of citizens' financial information.

In conclusion, the concerns raised by Janet Yellen and four more ex-treasury chiefs regarding Musk's DOGE and its alleged overreach highlight the importance of checks and balances in the U.S. government. The former secretaries' op-ed serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of arbitrary and capricious political control of federal payments and the need for transparency and accountability in the process. The outcome of the legal battle over DOGE's access to the payment systems will likely have significant implications for the broader political landscape and the balance of power between the branches of government.