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We've discovered $2.7 trillion in improper payments to Medicare, Medicaid, and overseas recipients who shouldn't have received them. This is just one example of the fraud, waste, and abuse we're identifying daily. Elon Musk highlighted Social Security payments being made to deceased individuals, which is clearly fraudulent. We're also finding contracts where, for instance, a million dollars was allocated, but only $500,000 was actually spent. Where did the remaining funds go? These are the issues we're addressing daily. This is exactly what President Trump promised to do during his campaign, and we are delivering on that promise.

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.

This hearing of the Oversight Subcommittee on Doge will focus on bringing full transparency to waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government. Our national debt is $36 trillion, and the compounding interest is growing out of control, projected to exceed our entire military budget. These interest payments don't serve Americans; they enslave us to those who own our debt, driving inflation and crippling small businesses. This debt results from Congress and elected administrations, betraying the American people. Unlike private businesses that depend on customer service and smart financial management, the federal government takes our tax dollars regardless of its performance. We must tackle this problem together, setting aside political theater. This subcommittee will fight the war on waste with President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Doge team, starting with improper payments in Medicaid and Medicare. The American people are watching.

This hearing aims to bring transparency to waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government. Our national debt is $36 trillion, and the compounding interest is growing out of control. Interest payments will exceed our entire military budget. This debt enslaves Americans and drives inflation. It stems from Congress and elected administrations, betraying the American people. Doge, the Department of Government Efficiency, arose from this betrayal. Unlike private businesses, the federal government doesn't rely on customer service to earn income; it takes your money regardless. There are no consequences for failure or for the ever-growing national debt. We must tackle this issue together, setting aside political differences to save our nation. We will fight waste alongside President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Doge team, focusing on improper payments in programs like Medicaid and Medicare.

The government has failed to address the high cost of living while attempting to misappropriate taxpayer money. This issue at the Treasury Department highlights the need for action. We will soon introduce the Stop the Steal Act to safeguard the Department of Treasury's payment system from those trying to unlawfully access personal and confidential information.

We plan to address the massive amount of fraud in this country, including foreign fraud rings where foreign nationals use fake social security numbers and identities to steal billions in taxpayer benefits. Until we gain full access, we can't know the exact amount, but clamping down on this fraud in our tax and entitlement systems could save over a trillion dollars over a ten-year budget window. It's important to understand that we are subordinate staffers of the federal government, political appointees who serve and answer to the president. We're not an outside entity, but existing federal staff performing our statutory and constitutional duty.

As governor, I saw firsthand government waste, but what Elon is finding is stunning. One agency had 13,000 employees but 37,000 software licenses, many unused. With millions of federal employees and credit cards, the opportunities for fraud are immense. Shockingly, there are millions of dead people still in the Social Security system. We need to address the low-hanging fruit. Keep good employees but eliminate unnecessary positions. I was in a meeting where it was revealed there are more government credit cards than employees, and the number of people on Social Security rolls is incredible. Checks go out automatically, and nobody is checking. Contract officers retire, but the money keeps flowing. Even diligent companies struggle to stop improper payments. Agencies like USAID don't track appropriations. Basic changes are needed to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

During the pandemic, $1.4 billion in government checks were sent to dead people and cashed. Senator Carper and I passed a bill to address this, which took two years. When someone dies, their name goes on the death master file, but Social Security wouldn't share this list with other government agencies because they lacked the authority. Our bill mandated a three-year trial period for sharing the list, which saved a lot of money. That trial period is ending in February. I have another bill with Gary Peters to extend it and make it permanent. I can't imagine who would be opposed to this.

The government has failed to address the high cost of living while attempting to misappropriate taxpayer money. The situation at the Treasury Department highlights this issue. To combat unlawful access to the Treasury's payment system and protect personal and confidential information, we will soon introduce the Stop the Steal Act.

I'm beyond angry about the massive corruption we're seeing. A recent report highlighted $50 to $100 billion in Social Security waste and fraud, with payments going to dead people or those way past the age of eligibility. This affects every working American, no matter your political affiliation. We need to hold everyone accountable, regardless of party. This isn't just a little fraud; it's a huge theft from the working class, robbing the future elderly. It's evil, and we need term limits for these politicians who are mismanaging and stealing our money. We want our money back from people like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, and Mitch McConnell. They're jeopardizing our future Social Security for their own gain.

There's massive fraud in this country, including foreign nationals using fake social security numbers and identities to steal billions in taxpayer benefits. By clamping down on this fraud in our tax and entitlement systems, we could save over a trillion dollars. Doge are subordinate staffers of the federal government and political appointees that serve and answer to the president. They will analyze and assess for signs and symptoms of fraud and how IT systems are failing to detect it. We need to protect the integrity of these systems that Americans rely on. We are restoring neutrality, ethics, and accountability to the IRS to identify large-scale fraud, unfair politicization, and unfair targeting. We want to ensure confidence in the IRS and that no dollars are being stolen from the American people.

During the pandemic, $1.4 billion in checks were sent to dead people. When someone dies, the state sends their name to the Social Security Administration, which updates the death master file. When I asked Social Security who they share this list with, they said nobody due to a lack of statutory authority, not even the Treasury Department. Senator Carper and I passed a bill to address this, requiring Social Security to share the list with the rest of the government. Believe it or not, we faced opposition and had to agree to a three-year trial period. This trial saved a lot of money. Now that the trial period is ending, I have another bill with Gary Peters to make the sharing of the death master file permanent.

I'm nearly convinced that our entire national debt of $36 trillion is due to fraud, abuse, and waste. A staggering $2.7 trillion was improperly sent overseas as Medicare and Medicaid payments. How is this even possible? Is there any part of our government that isn't defrauding the American people? We've barely scratched the surface of this audit, and it already seems the answer is no. It feels like every branch of government has been robbing Americans blind while we struggle to make ends meet. People are still freezing. I want to see arrests, and I want the names of those responsible revealed.

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.

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.

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.

Since 2012, the government has wasted nearly $3 trillion in taxpayer money. Last year alone, improper payments totaled $247 billion. This includes payments to deceased individuals; over $530 million in pension payments went to dead people. Medicare improperly paid out $47 billion, and Medicaid, $81 billion. Fraudulent payments under the Biden administration reached $764 billion in just three years. These improper payments add up to $2.8 trillion – enough to cover five years of US foreign aid. This amounts to $850 per person in the country.

This Wednesday, the DOGE subcommittee on oversight, working with the Department of Justice, will hold its first hearing. We'll be investigating improper Medicare payments made to deceased individuals and criminals internationally. Eliminating this fraud could save hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars. This isn't a partisan issue; it's about saving American money. While this is work that should have been done long ago, I'm hopeful Republicans and Democrats can come together to address this problem. We’ll see how it goes.

We've identified shocking incompetence and probable fraud in the Social Security program. Government databases list millions of Social Security members at impossible ages: 4.7 million from 100-109 years old, 3.6 million from 110-119 years old, 3.47 million from 120-129, 3.9 million from 130-139, and 3.5 million from 140-149. Money is being paid out to many of these individuals because the payments continue without proper oversight. This hurts Social Security and our country. The databases even list 1.3 million people from 150-159 years old and over 130,000 people over 160 years old. We are currently investigating this issue.

I'm uncovering fraud by showing how money isn't reaching its intended destination but is instead being diverted, which goes against what Congress intended. Uncovering fraud should be viewed positively, and it's puzzling why anyone would defend it. We're working to address waste, inefficiency, fraud, and the weaponization of agencies. A prime example is USAID, which misuses taxpayer money to promote unwanted ideologies and destabilize foreign policies. It is common sense to stop funding these things. We aim to address this issue across all agencies, ensuring taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and effectively.

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!