The U.S. Treasury Department has pushed back against concerns that billionaire Elon Musk and his team have gained improper access to the federal payments system, stating that no transactions have been suspended or canceled despite Musk’s public claims of halting certain government payments.

In a letter to Congress on Tuesday, Treasury official Jonathan Blum reassured lawmakers that an ongoing review of federal payment operations had not led to any disruptions in transactions. He also clarified that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) representatives had only limited “read-only” access to the system, which handles trillions of dollars in annual payments, including Social Security benefits.

Musk recently stated on his social media platform X that his team had taken steps to halt what he described as “illegal payments.” This claim followed the online circulation of federal grant allocations to Lutheran organizations, which some Musk supporters suggested were improperly disbursed.

His involvement has sparked sharp criticism, particularly from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, who questioned why political operatives with no formal oversight had been granted access to sensitive financial systems. Wyden accused the Treasury of downplaying the risks posed by Musk’s involvement and warned that accountability for any unauthorized actions could be lacking.

The Treasury’s letter also disclosed that Tom Krause, CEO of Cloud Software Group and a Musk ally, had been designated a “special government employee” to oversee the review of payments. Treasury officials maintain that all operations continue under the supervision of career employees, adhering to security and privacy protocols.

Former Treasury official Don Hammond weighed in, cautioning that unauthorized access to payment systems could jeopardize the integrity of government transactions. However, he acknowledged that, if Treasury’s account of events is accurate, the situation aligns with past procedural standards.