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The Treasury pays out $5 trillion per year, and previously, payments lacked budget codes, obscuring their purpose. A $4 billion COVID fund in the Department of Education had no receipt requirements, leading to funds being used to rent Caesars Palace and stadiums for parties. When a receipt upload requirement was implemented, fund drawdowns ceased, even though the receipts were not verified. Fraud often starts small and hidden, but escalates over time if unchecked, eventually becoming brazen, such as renting out stadiums.

The Treasury's main payment system, PAM, handles about $5 trillion a year, roughly a billion dollars an hour. When we first looked at it, payments could be processed with no categorization or description – basically, untraceable blank checks. If this were a public company, it would be delisted, and the executives would be in jail. We recommended making payment categorization codes mandatory with some explanation required for each payment. This radical change is being implemented now, and I think it probably saves $100 billion a year. Where was that money going? It's hard to say what was waste and what was fraud. If the government sends money to someone who doesn't deserve it, is that waste, or fraud?

We found that the government was essentially sending untraceable blank checks. If a public company did this, they'd be delisted and executives would go to prison, but it's normal in the government. We recommended to the Treasury and Federal Reserve that payment categorization codes be mandatory, not optional, and that every payment need some explanation, even if we don't judge the quality of it. This is a radical change that's now being implemented. I'm guessing it probably saves about $100 billion a year. Where was that money going? It's hard to say if it was waste or fraud. Many payments were just approved and kept going even after the approving officer changed jobs, retired, or died. It's like forgetting to cancel a gym membership, but instead of $20 a month, it's $20 billion a year.

Elon Musk invited a group to observe his weekly Doge meeting, where they discussed efforts to combat government waste and fraud. They found instances of misuse of funds, such as the Department of Education's $4 billion COVID fund being used for parties at Caesar's Palace and stadium rentals. Requiring receipts halted these withdrawals. The Small Business Administration gave loans to dead people and even unborn children. The Inter American Foundation (IAF) spends only 58% of its funds on grantees, like alpaca farmers in Peru, with much of the money remaining in DC. Only 10-15 cents of each dollar reaches the intended recipient due to layers of stealing. The United States Institute of Peace was found to have loaded guns in its headquarters and a $130,000 contract with a former member of the Taliban for unclear services. The chief accountant deleted over a terabyte of records, later recovered. Unspent funds were swept into a private bank account. The team referred the evidence to the FBI and DOJ. A generous government resignation program was initially met with suspicion, but is now gaining acceptance. The effort to combat waste and fraud is a long-term enterprise.

"Big Balls" says that "Big Balls" is their LinkedIn username because people on LinkedIn take themselves too seriously and are adverse to risk, and they wanted to be neither of those things. "Big Balls" is working on payment computer stuff to root out fraud and waste. There is no accounting of what payments actually go to in the payment computer. When looking at a specific line item, like $20,000,000, for the majority of payment systems, they don't know what the money is going to. This is a huge cause for concern because the upstream thing which is distributing the money literally has no checks, and no accountability to the actual American taxpayer, making it a huge vector for fraud, waste, and abuse. There is no incentive if you work in the government to respect taxpayer money, and incentives decide the outcomes.

Transnational fraud rings, terrorist organizations, and even nation-states like North Korea are being funded with our tax dollars. During the pandemic, a trillion dollars was stolen, with 70% going overseas. For example, one state had more unemployment claims than adults, and Romanian thieves used stolen funds for fentanyl and to undermine our democracy. While most public servants are honest, insider threats exist. Data and technology are crucial to identify them. Recently, in a Western state, criminals stole $50 million from Medicaid in under four months. These aren't individual acts; they're organized criminal groups, both domestic and transnational. Controls must be in place.

Doge, led by Elon Musk, investigates government waste and fraud. The team found the Treasury lacked budget codes for $5 trillion in payments, and a $4 billion COVID fund was misused for parties at Caesar's Palace and stadium rentals. The Department of Education now requires receipts for fund withdrawals, but these are not verified. The Small Business Administration gave $330 million in loans to dead people and $660 million to babies or people with future birthdates. The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) spends only 58% of its funds on grantees, such as alpaca farming in Peru, with the rest going to management and travel. Only 10-15 cents of each dollar reaches the intended recipient due to layers of subcontractors. The United States Institute of Peace was found to have loaded guns, spent money on private jets, and had a $130,000 contract with a former member of the Taliban. The agency's chief accountant deleted over a terabyte of accounting records, and unspent funds were moved to a private bank account. The government stores retirement papers in a mine, a process taking six months and involving manual calculations. The Postal Service is losing billions annually due to regulations since 2007. "Big Balls" is working on payment computer systems to root out fraud, as most systems lack payment accountability. Doge members have faced threats and hostility for their work.

A $4 billion COVID fund in the Department of Education had no receipt requirements, allowing people to draw money freely. Upon investigation, it was found that the money was used to rent Caesar's Palace and stadiums for parties. The only change made was requiring recipients to upload a receipt before drawing funds. After this change, nobody requested money anymore. Although the receipts were not checked and could be fake, the mere request for documentation stopped the requests. Initially, fraud starts small and is hidden, but if unchecked, it grows more brazen each year until they are renting out stadiums.

I discovered that 20 million dead people are marked as alive in the social security database. Most fraud doesn't come directly from social security payments, but from disability, unemployment, and fake medical payments because these individuals are incorrectly marked as alive. We need to implement a simple "are you alive" check to prevent these fraudulent payments. This type of negligence would result in a public company being immediately delisted, and its executives imprisoned, but it's considered normal within the government. Therefore, I recommend that the Treasury and Federal Reserve make payment categorization codes mandatory, requiring an explanation for each payment, even if it's basic. This change would significantly improve the current system and potentially save hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

A basic search of the Social Security database revealed 20 million dead people marked as alive. While it's unclear if they're directly receiving Social Security payments, their "alive" status allows them to fraudulently obtain disability, unemployment, and fake medical payments. The fraud occurs because government databases don't communicate well. For example, the Treasury's main payments computer, PAM, handles $5 trillion in payments annually, roughly a billion dollars an hour. We discovered payments lacked categorization codes and descriptions, essentially untraceable blank checks. If a public company operated this way, it would be delisted, and executives would face imprisonment.

The speaker reports that $4.4 billion in unused COVID funds were identified, with $1.4 billion already returned to the U.S. Treasury. The Department of Labor exposed unemployment insurance fraud since 2020, with over $400 million in payments already disbursed fraudulently. Specifically, almost 25,000 people over 115 years old collected $59 million. 28,000 people between one and five years old received $254 million in fraudulent payments. $69 million went to 10,000 people not yet born, including one case where $41,000 was sent to someone who will be born 129 years in the future. The speaker says they are honored to return these dollars to the U.S. Treasury.

The US Treasury Department has been flagged for potential waste and abuse of taxpayer funds, with about 23% of entitlements, roughly $50 billion annually, going to recipients without known Social Security numbers or IDs. This equates to about a billion dollars a week in potential fraud. Adding to the concern, the Treasury Department hasn't been keeping itemized records of their payouts, making it impossible to track where the money is actually going. Fortunately, an agreement has been made where the Treasury Department will start itemizing all payments, detailing where the money is going and to whom. It's unbelievable that the Treasury hasn't had to provide accountability for where taxpayer money is being spent, especially when individual taxpayers are held to a much higher standard.

For over a decade, I’ve been exposing egregious Washington waste with my monthly SQUEAL awards. Some examples are too outrageous to believe. I’m talking about bureaucrats approving PPP loans for applicants who used pictures of dolls for IDs. Imagine giving Barbie or Ken a taxpayer funded loan. Not only that, but they also believe folks claiming to be over 115 years old were alive and well enough to be approved for 3,095 PPP and idle loans worth $333,000,000 including $36,000 to a 157 year old. That’s pure hogwash. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Instead of boosting Main Street, millions of your tax dollars were wasted through USAID to fund Iraqi Sesame Street. And this one is unacceptable. Improper payments or the government tossing cash into the wrong trough have become commonplace. In fiscal year twenty twenty four, federal agencies shoveled out $162,000,000,000 in improper payments. The most frustrating part is how simple it is to stop this waste. A report by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee found that $79,000,000,000 in potential COVID fraud could have been prevented if four basic questions were asked. One, is the applicant's social security number valid? Two, if valid, does the name connected to that number match the name on the application? Three, does the birthday match? And lastly, is the individual alive? Seriously, folks, that could have saved $79,000,000,000 right there. The good news is that we can prevent nearly all improper payments in the future with my Doge in Spending Act that enacts common sense guardrails like those four simple questions.

Transnational fraud rings, terrorist organizations, and even nation-states are being funded by taxpayer dollars. During the pandemic, one trillion dollars was stolen, with 70% going overseas. For example, in one Western state, unemployment insurance applications exceeded the number of adults. Romanian criminals used stolen funds to facilitate fraud schemes involving fentanyl and attempts to undermine our democracy. While 99% of public sector employees are honest, some exploit the system. Data and technology are crucial to identifying these individuals. Recent examples include a breach of a Medicaid system in a Western state, resulting in $50 million stolen in under four months. These aren't individual thieves, but organized criminal groups, both domestic and transnational.

Elon Musk invited a group to observe his weekly Doge meeting, where they discussed government waste and fraud. A key issue was the lack of receipt requirements for a $4 billion COVID fund in the Department of Education, leading to funds being used for parties and stadium rentals. Even when receipts were required, they didn't need to be legitimate, yet requests stopped. The Small Business Administration gave loans to dead people and even fetuses. The Inter American Foundation (IAF) spends only 58% of its funds on grantees, like alpaca farmers in Peru, with much of the money remaining in DC. Only 10-15 cents of each dollar reaches the intended recipient due to layers of stealing. The United States Institute of Peace was cited as the agency with the most resistance, including loaded guns in their headquarters and a $130,000 contract with a former member of the Taliban for unclear services. The agency's chief accountant deleted a terabyte of records, later recovered, and unspent funds were diverted to a private bank account. Doge is a long-term enterprise to combat waste and fraud, with the goal of making it difficult to restart.

The Treasury pays out $5 trillion per year, and previously, payments lacked budget codes, obscuring their purpose. A $4 billion COVID fund in the Department of Education had no receipt requirements, leading to funds being used to rent Caesars Palace and stadiums for parties. When a receipt upload requirement was implemented, fund drawdowns ceased, even though the receipts were not verified. Fraud often starts small and hidden, but escalates over time if unchecked, eventually becoming brazen, such as renting out stadiums.

Transnational fraud rings, terrorist organizations, and even nation-states are being funded with taxpayer dollars. During the pandemic, one trillion dollars was stolen, with 70% going overseas. For example, one state had more unemployment claims than adults. Romanian criminals used stolen funds for fentanyl and to undermine our democracy. While most public servants are honest, some exploit the system. In one recent case, individuals stole $50 million from Medicaid in under four months. These aren't individual thefts, but organized criminal groups, both domestic and transnational, that we need data and technology to stop.

Chairman Marcia Taylor Green's subcommittee discovered $2.7 trillion in improper payments to Medicare, Medicaid, and overseas recipients. These payments went to individuals who should not have received them. Doge is identifying fraud, waste, and abuse daily. Elon Musk mentioned Social Security payments being sent to deceased individuals. There are also contracts where, for example, a million dollars was allocated, but only $500,000 was disbursed, raising questions about the missing funds. Doge is actively addressing these issues. President Trump campaigned on this and is delivering on that promise.

Speaker 0 stated that people on LinkedIn take themselves too seriously and avoid risk, so they decided to do the opposite. Currently, they are working on payment computer initiatives to root out fraud and waste. Speaker 0 found that there is no accounting of where payments actually go within the payment computer. When looking at a specific line item, like $20,000,000, it is often unknown where the money is going. Speaker 0 believes this lack of accountability is a huge cause for concern because the upstream entity distributing the money has no checks and balances, making it a significant vector for fraud, waste, and abuse. They claim there is no incentive to respect taxpayer money when working in the government, and incentives determine outcomes.

The Treasury pays out $5 trillion per year, and previously, payments lacked budget codes, obscuring their purpose. A $4 billion COVID fund in the Department of Education had no receipt requirements, leading to funds being used to rent Caesars Palace and stadiums for parties. When a receipt upload requirement was implemented, fund drawdowns ceased, even though the receipts were not verified. Fraud often starts small and hidden, but escalates over time if unchecked, eventually becoming brazen, such as renting out stadiums.

My team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovered $100 billion in wasted Medicare and Medicaid funds. Working with two senior CMS veterans, we had read-only access to their payment and contracting systems. Our mission was to find ways to use resources more effectively, but we discovered massive waste and potential fraud. CMS processes over a billion Medicare claims annually and manages billions in Medicaid funds. They recently suspended 850 agents for suspected fraud. The Department of Justice has also been prosecuting healthcare fraud cases, with billions of dollars in losses. This discovery highlights a massive scandal, potentially the biggest in US history, and is prompting calls for similar transparency initiatives in other countries. We need major reform, absolute transparency over tax spending, and human oversight to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Here's why they didn't want us looking at the Department of Education. According to USED.gov, $4.6 million was contracted to coordinate Zoom and in-person meetings. Another $3 million went to writing a report to show that prior reports weren't used by schools. And $1.4 million was spent to physically observe mailing and clerical operations. We all want children educated, but these allocations don't seem right. It looks like theft from the American taxpayer.

We're uncovering massive fraud, waste, and abuse daily. Recently, it was discovered that there were $2.7 trillion in improper payments to Medicare, Medicaid, and overseas. Social Security payments are even going to deceased individuals. We're also seeing contracts where the full amount wasn't delivered. For example, a million-dollar contract might only see $500,000 distributed, and we're working to find where the rest of the money went. This is exactly what I campaigned on, and what 77 million people elected me to do.

We've found some odd things, like bureaucrats with modest salaries somehow accumulating millions while in their positions. It makes you wonder where that money comes from. It seems taxpayers are footing the bill for this wealth. Basic controls that any company would have are missing at Treasury, like payment categorization codes or comments explaining payments. The "do not pay" list, meant for terrorists and fraudsters, takes up to a year to get on and isn't even used. Departments fail audits because of these missing controls. It boils down to complaint minimization. Approving all payments avoids complaints, even from fraudsters. But we need to complain when money is misspent and demand taxpayer dollars are used wisely. It's just common sense. We even see people claiming Social Security who are 50 years old!

It's morning on March 15, and investigators are chasing a tip about a man leaving the country with a carry-on bag packed with a million dollars in cash. The claim is that he just cleared security with the cash, and that these cloak-and-dagger transfers happen almost weekly at MSP International. The money is reported to be headed to the Middle East, Dubai, and beyond, with sources saying last year more than $100,000,000 in cash left MSP in carry-on luggage. The reporters highlight Glenn Kearns as the national go-to expert on money transfers behind these mysterious movements. Kearns is a former Seattle police detective who spent fifteen years on the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. He tracked millions of dollars in cash leaving flights from Seattle and found that the money came from hawalas—informal money-transfer networks used to send funds to countries with limited or no official banking systems. Some immigrant communities rely on hawalas to send money to relatives back home. Kearns discovered that some of the money was funneled to a hawala network in a region of Somalia controlled by the Al Shabaab terrorist group. The investigation raises a question: how could such large sums be transferred back home? The reporting notes that sources say the phenomenon is connected to welfare fraud and day care, suggesting a broader pattern behind the carry-on cash. To understand the link between day care fraud and the surge in carry-on cash, the reporters trace the crime's history in Minnesota. Five years earlier, Fox 9 investigators first reported that day care fraud was rising in the state. They exposed how some businesses exploited the system to steal millions in government subsidies intended to help low-income families with childcare expenses. The daycare fraud scheme works by centers signing up low-income families that qualify for childcare assistance funding. Surveillance videos from a case prosecuted by Hennepin County show parents checking their kids into a center and then leaving moments later, or sometimes with no children at all. Regardless, the center would bill the state for a full day of childcare. In summary, the report ties large cash transfers at MSP to hawalas and potential ties to terrorism financing, while framing a separate but connected pattern of crime: daycare centers billing for subsidized childcare in ways that enable significant fraud, thereby facilitating the movement and laundering of funds.