Booz Allen fires subcontractor who wrote document about DOGE access to Treasury

McLean-based Fortune 500 management consulting contractor Booz Allen Hamilton has fired a subcontractor who warned the U.S. Treasury Department about the Department of Government Efficiency having access to the Treasury’s payment system.

Booz Allen said that sources quoted in recent media reports “mischaracterize a document provided to Treasury officials” and that the company did not conduct a threat assessment or make recommendations regarding DOGE.

“Commentary provided in a draft document by a subcontractor contained unsubstantiated personal opinions,” the company said in a statement. “These unauthorized comments do not represent the company’s views and are inconsistent with our standards. Booz Allen has terminated the subcontractor.”

Bloomberg reported on Friday that the subcontractor expressed concern that DOGE, which is led by billionaire Elon Musk, having access to the payments system posed a significant risk to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which manages the federal government’s accounting. An anonymous source told Bloomberg that the draft report featuring the warning was delivered to the Treasury Department in a weekly intelligence bulletin by Booz Allen.

According to Bloomberg, the contractor’s report said: “Continued access to any payments systems, even ‘read-only’ likely poses the single greatest insider threat risk the Bureau of Fiscal Services has ever faced.” The report mirrors concern that has been shared by security experts, Democratic lawmakers, consumer advocates and government officials.

According to The Washington Post, the Treasury’s highest ranking career official, David A. Lebryk, abruptly retired last month after clashing with Musk allies over DOGE team members having access to a sensitive payment system the federal government uses to disburse trillions of dollars annually.

Axios reported Tuesday that security experts fear Musk’s team having such widespread access posed risks of data leaks, violations of federal security protocols and insider risks.

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Booz Allen has more than 34,000 employees and reported fiscal 2024 earnings of $10.66 billion, its best revenue year since it went public in 2010.