Two top tech officials are out at Treasury, sources say
The Treasury Department is losing two of its top technology officials, according to agency sources.
Brian Peretti, Treasury’s chief technology officer, is leaving the position and taking the federal government’s early retirement option, two people within the agency said. Peretti helped organize the department’s planning process for information technology and also served in the role of chief artificial intelligence officer.
Rick Therrien, Treasury’s chief information security officer, is also retiring, the two agency sources said. Therrien had served in the position since July 2024, and, before then, held a series of roles at the Internal Revenue Service.
Another person familiar with the matter confirmed their exits.
The moves come amid tensions in the Treasury Department over the influence of the Department of Government Efficiency and the departures of IT officials across the federal government.
The Treasury Department has seen significant personnel turnover since the beginning of the Trump administration. In March, Jeff King was promoted to the top IT position after Tony Arcadi took the “fork” deferred resignation offer. That month, about 50 information technology executives at the IRS had been cut from the agency, FedScoop reported. In April, the chief information officer of the IRS, Rajiv Uppal, also announced he was leaving, according to an email that FedScoop obtained.
The influence of DOGE has been particularly controversial at the Treasury Department, where young Elon Musk-affiliated staffers have sought access to powerful payments systems — often contravening traditional IT procedures. Sam Corcos, a startup founder, has been one of the primary DOGE engineers brought in to advise the agency.
One key target of the new leadership is the IRS’s Direct File program, a free electronic free filing program that’s drawn the ire of some Republicans. A source familiar with the situation told FedScoop in April that the Treasury Department now plans to eliminate the program.
