The Department of Government Oversight claims to have identified $400 million in fraudulent unemployment claims, all approved in the years since President Biden took office. The nature of the claims themselves is even more shocking than the overall number. The fraud was not masked by clever identity fraud or manufactured employment but was instead discovered through widely erroneous birthdates associated with the claims. Some were filed by people over the age of 115, some under the age of 5, and some who have yet to even be born. The oldest living American today is 114 years old.
The approval of such baseless claims also underscores the hands-off nature of the employees who oversee and approve such requests. The findings of the Department of Labor inquiry are similar to the recent audit of the Social Security Administration, which uncovered comparably fraudulent birth dates in benefits claims. Money has been stolen from taxpayers and wasted, not only on fake payments but on salaries for government officials who are simply not fulfilling their duties.
Despite Democratic objections, Elon Musk and his DOGE team have wasted no time identifying- and doing their best to rectify- the wasteful and fraudulent use of taxpayer funds. Since Trump’s second term began, they have taken action against an antiquated federal employee retirement system that kept people in jobs- and salaries- longer than they even wanted. The Environmental Protection Agency self-identified $20 million of wasteful spending, hoping to streamline its own budget and minimize outside cuts. Ideally, further agencies will be inspired and do internal reviews.
The Department is not only uncovering wasteful initiatives set into motion under Biden and previous administrations but also identifying departments that continue to act in defiance of current Trump directives. One of the most egregious examples was the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which had paid out nearly $60 million for housing illegal immigrants in New York City despite being under review. Even more shocking, the spending occurred over the course of just one week, and would have likely continued had it not been uncovered by DOGE.
In a time of economic uncertainty, the waste of even one dollar of taxpayer money is criminal and should be treated as such. While Americans look to pay for their rent and groceries, hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse are simply added insult. Any politician or department head who seeks to prevent budget review or the cuts of identified areas of concern is un-American. While America should strive to provide robust programs for its citizens- and benefits during legitimate times of need- uncontrolled, unsupervised spending cannot be allowed. Through the reduction of waste- and the elimination of redundant government positions, Musk et al. just might achieve meaningful change in the federal government and for the American people.
How do you feel about how DOGE is handling budget inquiries and cuts? Will Elon Musk be able to make a significant difference in overall spending and deficit?
Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.