Two Democratic lawmakers reportedly went into House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office on Wednesday to confront him about Elon Musk’s access to the Treasury Department’s sensitive payment system.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) told reporters that Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) “forced her way” into Johnson’s office, and Chu followed right behind her. “And she was already confronting Speaker Johnson about Treasury Secretary [Scott] Bessent and the stealing of Americans’ private information, tax information that should never be stolen and given to this billionaire Elon Musk,” Chu explained, according to Politico.
Moore said that Bessent wasn’t in the room during the confrontation. He had been in Johnson’s office earlier to meet with Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The confrontation came amid growing concern from Democrats over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with reports suggesting that DOGE’s chair now has full control over the payment system code that manages Social Security payments, tax returns, and other payments to Americans.
On Tuesday, Treasury Department officials told lawmakers that Musk and his DOGE team currently have “read-only” access to the system.
A House Republican described the incident as “aggressive and frankly unhinged behavior.” The Republican added, “The Speaker was more than gracious and allowed the members into his personal office to hear their concerns.”
