Elon Musk’s allies have gained access to a US Treasury payment system that distributes more than $6 trillion (£4.8 trillion) each year, sparking fears the Trump administration is seeking to freeze funding for welfare programmes.

The system is responsible for sending social security payments, Medicare benefits and tax refunds, among others.

The chief of Mr Musk’s newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) – a unit tasked with cutting spending, reducing the size of the federal workforce and increasing efficiency – was permitted access after the controversial ousting of a top official.

Tom Krause, the Doge chief, was permitted to view details on federal payments on condition that no changes were made to them, one source told Politico.

While it is not yet clear what Mr Musk plans to do with the system, analysts fear he could be hoping to cut payments to state programmes such as Medicaid, which provides health care to millions of low-income Americans.