1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

The actions by Elon Musk's DOGE team to seize control of the Treasury Department's payment systems and access sensitive data pose a grave risk to national security and the privacy of millions of Americans. This is an unprecedented overreach by unaccountable and unqualified individuals with no legal authority. It threatens the integrity of government operations and undermines critical safeguards against fraud, abuse and conflicts of interest. We urge Congress to take immediate action to revoke any access granted to Musk's personnel and restore the proper management of the payment system to career civil servants. Decisive steps must be taken to prevent further intrusions into government systems and databases by private entities or individuals operating outside of legal processes and oversight mechanisms. The security of taxpayer data and proper execution of congressionally authorized spending cannot be left vulnerable to exploitation by corporate interests. Allowing this breach to continue would set a dangerous precedent that jeopardizes the core functions of democratic governance. Restoring the lawful administration of the Treasury payment system is crucial to upholding the rule of law, protecting citizens' privacy rights, and ensuring the federal government can carry out its constitutionally mandated duties without undue external interference. Congress must act swiftly to address this crisis and reaffirm its role as a co-equal branch in overseeing the executive branch's activities.