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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've stopped the $8,000,000 in taxpayer subsidies for Politico subscriptions. The team is working to cancel the payments immediately. Large organizations inevitably miss things. Claims of widespread waste and abuse haven't been substantiated with evidence. We haven't seen proof of the alleged misuse of funds.

"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.

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.

The federal government uses only one bank account, the treasury general account, to disperse all monies. There is allegedly $500 billion of fraud every year, and hundreds of billions of dollars in improper payments. The consolidated financial report produced by the treasury cannot pass an audit due to material weakness. Until recently, the federal government could not pass an audit because it lacked necessary payment information, such as payment codes, explanations, and contact information. Previously, over 580 agencies could make payments without verification, and the treasury would send them out as fast as possible. This is likened to a household where many people can access the bank account and disperse funds without justification or verification.

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.

Twitter, at least, was breaking even and passing audits. The federal government, however, is losing trillions annually and failing its audits. Senator Collins mentioned giving the Navy billions for submarines, only to find out the money disappeared without any new submarines. This level of waste is enabled because they're accustomed to operating this way without accountability. As Milton Friedman said, money is most poorly spent when you're spending someone else's money on people you don't know, which perfectly describes the federal government's situation.

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.

Doge aims to cut the deficit by $1 trillion by reducing waste and fraud, targeting a 15% reduction in federal spending. Astonishingly, billions are wasted routinely, like a billion-dollar charge for a simple online survey. The goal is to cut $4 billion daily, with success dependent on President Trump's support. Doge publishes findings on doge.gov for transparency. Congress is kept informed, emphasizing that eliminating waste aligns with the law. A mine in Pennsylvania houses 400 million paper retirement documents, a process from the 1950s, which Doge plans to digitize for faster processing. Government IT costs $100 billion, maintaining systems over 50 years old. Social Security faces fraud, with 40% of direct deposit change calls being fraudulent. Doge aims to ensure legitimate recipients receive more benefits. There are 15-20 million potentially fraudulent Social Security numbers. NIH has 27 centers with 700 IT systems that don't connect, and 27 CIOs. Treasury uses one bank account for all federal payments, lacking proper financial controls, leading to $500 billion in annual fraud. There are 4.6 million government credit cards for 2.3 million employees. Small business loans have been given to those under 11 and over 120 years old. Fraudsters exploit system gaps, like claiming benefits for dead people.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A lot of Americans' money has been stolen through fraud and improper payments. In one of my first hearings, we discovered criminals using social security numbers of dead people or people over 115 years old to get small business loans and steal money from federal programs. We need to work to fix these issues in our legislation, budgets, and appropriations. This is a bipartisan issue; we're addressing money being fraudulently used and stolen. The American people are being robbed blind through improper payments, fraud, and outdated systems. Some federal agencies hire third-party vendors to hold data instead of communicating within the government. We are currently $36 trillion in debt, and we can't afford to keep losing money this way.

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!

Twitter, at least, was breaking even and passing audits. The federal government, however, loses $2 trillion a year and fails its audits. For example, Senator Collins mentioned giving the Navy $12 billion for submarines, but they got no extra submarines, and the Navy couldn't account for the money. It's like, only the federal government could get away with this level of waste because they've been doing it for so long and have become accustomed to it. As Milton Friedman said, money is most poorly spent when you're spending someone else's money on people you don't know, which is exactly what the federal government does.

I know people who worked in the Reagan administration. When they asked the bureaucracy questions, they were often blocked and deterred because they weren't technical. Elon Musk's team bypassed this by directly accessing the tech systems. No president has ever done this. They found crazy things like payments to people with duplicate or no social security numbers, totaling up to a hundred billion dollars. Payments were also going to organizations like Internews Network, which promotes a left-leaning point of view, and to protesters worldwide. My team is being transparent about it. We went to the data, we found it. We've only been at this for twenty days, so give us a chance. We're already releasing a lot of information. People are trying to slow us down, but the biggest question is whether we can stop their grift.