The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, discovered MORE examples of fraudulent payments, which was revealed by President Donald Trump on Thursday.
The president announced the following numbers during a press conference:
- Up to $521 billion federal dollars lost to fraud per year
- An estimated $236 billion or more in improper payments were made in 2023
- $2.7 trillion in improper payments, including payments that went to the wrong recipient, made since 2003
- $162 billion in total improper payments in 2024, including:
- Earned Income Tax Credit: $15.9 billion
- Food stamps: $10.5 billion
- Restaurant Revitalization Fund: $8.7 billion
- Supplemental Security Income: $6.5 billion
- Unemployment insurance: $5.6 billion
- Social Security Disability Insurance and Survivors Insurance Program: $8.3 billion, including $6.5 billion in overpayments
This is just what has been discovered in a few short weeks. I wonder what else will surface as Musk has more time to dig.
” That’s what Elon’s working so hard on with his group of almost 100 geniuses,” Trump told reporters. “These are staggering numbers, and this has been going on for a long time, and we’re finding a lot of it.”
Trump: Some numbers have come out, and as you know, we’re looking for waste, fraud, and abuse. to grow and abuse. And this just came out from the Government Accountability Office. And they’re pretty staggering numbers. The federal government loses as much as $521 billion in fraud. That’s what Elon’s working so hard on with his group of almost 100 geniuses.
In 2023, there was an estimated $236 billion in improper payments paid. And they think that number is very low; it should be much higher. $236 billion. This is why we’re doing what we’re doing. This is why I campaigned so hard and discussed this so much, and since 2003 there have been $2.7 trillion in improper payments, meaning payments that went to the wrong people, or payments that shouldn’t have been made.
According to the Economic Policy Center, very respected, in 2024 there was an estimated $162 billion in improper payments. Earned Income Tax Credit—this is having to do with Earned Income Tax Credit—it was $15.9 billion. Having to do with food stamps, improper, $10.5 billion in improper payments. Restaurant revitalization fund: $8.7 billion. Supplemental Security Income: $6.5 billion. This is all bad stuff, bad payments, fraud, largely fraud. Unemployment insurance: $5.6 billion. According to House Ways and Means, in 2024, Social Security Disability Insurance and Survivors Insurance Program sent an estimated $8.3 billion in improper payments, including $6.5 billion in overpayments where they overpaid. So these are staggering numbers, and this has been going on for a long time, and we’re finding a lot of it.
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