To the editor,

Open letter to Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Congressman Derrick Van Orden:

Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits are at risk.

On Feb. 1, 2025, Elon Musk took control of the Treasury’s payments system, which handles $6 trillion annually of federal spending. Giving Musk and his flunkies the keys to the payments system has put Social Security, Medicare and veterans benefits at risk. People who depend on those benefits could lose them if Musk’s people damage the system through incompetence or commit willful acts of malice.

It gets worse. Their rooting around in the payments system could open backdoors for China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, criminal gangs or all of the above to penetrate the system, grab Americans’ private information, threaten our national security, and rob us blind.

Congress is a co-equal branch of government. Congress must start acting like it. Article 1 of the Constitution says, “All legislative Powers herein shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.”

Congress represents the people. Congress must reclaim its power of the purse. Congress alone must decide how federal dollars are spent. Not arrogant tech bros whom no one elected.

Elon Musk did not take an oath of office. You took an oath of office. Take back your power. Reclaim your Constitutional authority. Serve us, the people, and no one else.

Respectfully yours,

Wendy DiPeso

Town of River Falls

Post Script – to my fellow Americans, if you value Social Security, Medicare, Veterans Benefits and the rule of law, silence is not an option. Contact your elected representatives.