Top Treasury official retires over DOGE request for access to payment systems

[Hoodat]

Top Treasury official retires over DOGE request for access to payment systems

Alex Gangitano  |  01/31/25  |  6:23 PM ET

David Lebryk, a top Treasury Department nonpolitical career official, retired Friday after clashing with Elon Musk allies over government payment systems, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill on condition of anonymity.

The Washington Post first reported on Lebryk’s departure, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Upon his inauguration, President Trump had appointed Lebryk acting Treasury secretary while nominee Scott Bessent was waiting to be confirmed.

Lebryk’s retirement follows a dispute over a request from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk oversees, for access to the payment system that Treasury officials use to disburse funds.

The Post reported that a small number of career officials at Treasury have control over the systems, which are run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Lebryk was previously first commissioner of the bureau.

The systems control $6 trillion annually, distributed as Social Security, Medicare, salaries for federal workers, payments to government contractors, payments to grant recipients and tax refunds.  .  .

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5119996-david-lebryk-retirement-treasury-doge-musk/

[Hoodat]

https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1885438393191899326

[mystery-ak]

 Top Treasury official retires over DOGE request for access to payment systems
by Alex Gangitano - 01/31/25 6:23 PM ET

David Lebryk, a top Treasury Department nonpolitical career official, retired Friday after clashing with Elon Musk allies over government payment systems, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill on condition of anonymity.

The Washington Post first reported on Lebryk’s departure, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Upon his inauguration, President Trump had appointed Lebryk acting Treasury secretary while nominee Scott Bessent was waiting to be confirmed.

Lebryk’s retirement follows a dispute over a request from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk oversees, for access to the payment system that Treasury officials use to disburse funds.

The Post reported that a small number of career officials at Treasury have control over the systems, which are run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Lebryk was previously first commissioner of the bureau.

The systems control $6 trillion annually, distributed as Social Security, Medicare, salaries for federal workers, payments to government contractors, payments to grant recipients and tax refunds.

Lebryk served in the Treasury Department for three decades and was appointed the fiscal assistant secretary in 2014, which is the most senior career position at the agency.

The Treasury Department and DOGE did not respond to a request for comment Lebryk’s retirement.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5119996-david-lebryk-retirement-treasury-doge-musk/

[mountaineer]

The Post reported that a small number of career officials at Treasury have control over the systems

Looks like he didn't want to give up his fiefdom.

[mountaineer]

Elon Musk
@elonmusk
The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.
They literally never denied a payment in their entire career.
Not even once.
1:52 AM · Feb 1, 2025

Robby Starbuck
@robbystarbuck
The highest ranking Treasury official, David A Lebryk, is resigning rather than complying with a request by @DOGE for access to audit where they’ve spent trillions of dollars a year. Why would career bureaucrats fear an audit by @elonmusk and @doge to see where we can save money?
6:14 PM · Jan 31, 2025

@amuse
@amuse
$6 trillion runs through that computerized payment platform. They're scared to death that anyone with any expertise will examine what is going on.
6:44 PM · Jan 31, 2025

[Free Vulcan]

While the attention has been going to the FBI, EPA, DOJ and a few others, I really want to see Bessent peel back the curtain at Treasury and see what has been going on there. My gut says there have been a great deal of shenanigans there as well.

[DB]

Elon Musk
@elonmusk
The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.
They literally never denied a payment in their entire career.
Not even once.
1:52 AM · Feb 1, 2025

Robby Starbuck
@robbystarbuck
The highest ranking Treasury official, David A Lebryk, is resigning rather than complying with a request by @DOGE for access to audit where they’ve spent trillions of dollars a year. Why would career bureaucrats fear an audit by @elonmusk and @doge to see where we can save money?
6:14 PM · Jan 31, 2025

@amuse
@amuse
$6 trillion runs through that computerized payment platform. They're scared to death that anyone with any expertise will examine what is going on.
6:44 PM · Jan 31, 2025

So they are high paid career rubber stamps...

[Canuck Conservative]

that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.
They literally never denied a payment in their entire career.
Not even once.

IOW, they never did anything, but each collected $100K+ annually along the way.

If they don't do anything, then they're not needed ... just install an automatic rubber-stamping machine ... same results but way cheaper!

[Timber Rattler]

Looks like he didn't want to give up his fiefdom.

Musk's team is also finding all kinds of stupid, crazy, and perhaps even illegal stuff in that system.

[deb]

IOW, they never did anything, but each collected $100K+ annually along the way.

If they don't do anything, then they're not needed ... just install an automatic rubber-stamping machine ... same results but way cheaper!

A rubber-stamping machine would have more honesty and discernment. Friggin’ deep state!

[Canuck Conservative]

One could make the argument that by approving everything, they didn't do their jobs at all ("to review every payment"), and thus can be sued to repay past income that was fraudulently earned

Be REALLY interesting if Team Trump followed up with that!

[jmyrlefuller]

Upon his inauguration, President Trump had appointed Lebryk acting Treasury secretary while nominee Scott Bessent was waiting to be confirmed.

In other words, this guy had barely been on the job 11 days before this confrontation.

And quite frankly, if some guy wants "access to the payment system," my first instinct is going to be "this guy wants to hijack it to pay himself." Again, knowing Musk's love of government contracts, this doesn't exactly assuage my suspicions.

[Bigun]

While the attention has been going to the FBI, EPA, DOJ and a few others, I really want to see Bessent peel back the curtain at Treasury and see what has been going on there. My gut says there have been a great deal of shenanigans there as well.

 

[DB]

In other words, this guy had barely been on the job 11 days before this confrontation.

And quite frankly, if some guy wants "access to the payment system," my first instinct is going to be "this guy wants to hijack it to pay himself." Again, knowing Musk's love of government contracts, this doesn't exactly assuage my suspicions.

Audits require access to records. It doesn't mean they have access to sending money somewhere.

[bilo]

Elon Musk
@elonmusk
The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.
They literally never denied a payment in their entire career.
Not even once.
1:52 AM · Feb 1, 2025

Robby Starbuck
@robbystarbuck
The highest ranking Treasury official, David A Lebryk, is resigning rather than complying with a request by @DOGE for access to audit where they’ve spent trillions of dollars a year. Why would career bureaucrats fear an audit by @elonmusk and @doge to see where we can save money?
6:14 PM · Jan 31, 2025

@amuse
@amuse
$6 trillion runs through that computerized payment platform. They're scared to death that anyone with any expertise will examine what is going on.
6:44 PM · Jan 31, 2025

I love DOGE more and more. They are an outside firm auditing the entire govt., just imagine what will happen as they upgrade the computer systems and programs so that they can quickly identify where the money is going.

[bilo]

While the attention has been going to the FBI, EPA, DOJ and a few others, I really want to see Bessent peel back the curtain at Treasury and see what has been going on there. My gut says there have been a great deal of shenanigans there as well.

 

[Hoodat]

In other words, this guy had barely been on the job 11 days before this confrontation.

For the last decade, he has been Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.  Under his tenure, our national debt has climbed from $17 trillion to $35 trillion.  So heck yes, there are some questions about the books being balanced.  He should have been the first one to cooperate with any audit.  Instead, he chose to resign.  His choice.  Not Trump's.  Not Musk's.  His choice.

[libertybele]

In other words, this guy had barely been on the job 11 days before this confrontation.

And quite frankly, if some guy wants "access to the payment system," my first instinct is going to be "this guy wants to hijack it to pay himself." Again, knowing Musk's love of government contracts, this doesn't exactly assuage my suspicions.

???  Do you really think Musk is so desperate for money that he's going to be hijacking a computer system to pay himself??

[DB]

My bet is Musk is going to be shocked at what "technology" the government uses these days... His audit report is likely to be extremely ugly...