Last week Elon Musk held an unprecedented press conference in which he outlined some of the findings of his Department of Government Efficiency as it works to root out waste, graft, fraud, and corruption in the federal government. Neither his findings nor the responses of his critics are responsible or enlightening. Both Musk and his critics, if they want to achieve real results, should devote more attention to the findings of government agencies charged with the handling of public funds.
Speaking in the Oval Office as President Trump looked on, Elon Musk charged that DOGE agents had found widespread evidence of USAID officials taking kickbacks, of excessive overpayments to Social Security recipients, and many examples of other federal officials enriching themselves while on the government payroll. Given the vast size and scope of the federal government, as well as the trillions of dollars it collects and spends each year, it would not be surprising to discover that at least some of what he was saying was true.
Nonetheless, his work so far is being dismissed in the media and by Democratic members of Congress as unreliable and inhumane. The New York Times, for example, reported that Musk was making “Broad Claims of Federal Fraud Without Proof,” and decried the secrecy in which Musk and his minions have so far worked. Democratic lawmakers have been saying that Trump must be combatted in the courts and even “in the street.” At least one member is threatening to try to impeach him again. Third time’s the charm?
But if Musk cannot yet supply documentation for the specific examples of the sort of financial abuses he’s been tasked to uncover and root out, the Wall Street Journal is more than happy to oblige. Last week it reported on findings by the Governmental Accountability Office (established by Congress to audit federal spending programs) and other federal agencies of investigations into federal spending programs. Among their findings:
- The theft of “at least $20 million in Covid benefits” by hackers linked to the Chinese government;”
- At least “$31 million in improper [Social Security] payments and fraud over five months;”
- An Earned Income Tax Credit for $550 million to one claimant;
- An estimated $85 billion in improper Medicaid and Medicare payments;
- At least $191 billion in improper pandemic unemployment payments;
- An overall estimate that “the federal government could lose between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud.”
Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and their allies should treat the investigative findings of the GAO and other agencies as manna from heaven. They have ready-made reports, well-sourced and well-documented, proving the assertions of Musk and Trump that widespread waste, graft, and fraud do exist within the federal government. With their command of the news media, they can easily trumpet their findings, implement ways and means to address the wrongdoing uncovered, and earn well-deserved credit for their efforts.
And the Democrats, if they wish to increase their credibility with the American people, should drop their knee-jerk opposition to all things Trump, and get on board with this particular crusade. There are plenty of policy areas on which Democrats and Republicans can legitimately disagree: trade policy and tariffs, immigration, climate change, DEI initiatives, education policy, energy production, etc., etc., etc. But in the fight against waste, graft, and fraud, Democrats and Republicans should be able to find common ground—not only for the sake of their own political fortunes but, of infinitely greater importance—for the welfare of the country as well.
Malcolm L. Cross has lived in Stephenville since 1987 and taught politics and government at Tarleton for 36 years, retiring in 2023. His political and civic activities include service on the Stephenville City Council (2000-2014) and on the Erath County Republican Executive Committee (1990-2024). He was Mayor pro-tem of Stephenville from 2008 to 2014. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Stephenville
Economic Development Authority since 2018 and as chair of the Erath County Appraisal District’s Appraisal Review Board since 2015. He is also a member of the Stephenville Rotary Club, the Board of Vestry of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and the Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts’ Pecan Valley District. Views expressed in this column are his and do not reflect those of The Flash as a whole.
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