Trump says Musk will help expose ‘hundreds of billions’ in government fraud
In an interview set to air before the Super Bowl, President Donald Trump stated that Elon Musk, tasked with overseeing a purge of US government jobs, would help uncover “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud” within federal agencies. Trump claimed that Musk, the world’s richest man and a key figure in the president’s cost-cutting efforts, has been instrumental in eliminating wasteful spending.
“We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse. And, you know, the people elected me on that,” Trump said in remarks aired by Fox News.
Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, was appointed by Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new initiative aimed at reducing federal spending. Over the past three weeks, the Trump administration has issued multiple executive orders to cut costs, with Musk playing a central role in the effort.
Despite these claims, there has been no evidence presented of widespread fraud within the government. Musk has already made significant moves, including the layoffs of thousands of workers at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and has come under fire for gaining access to personal and financial data of millions of Americans through the US Treasury.
A federal judge recently halted the administration’s plan to put 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave, and another judge blocked DOGE’s access to Treasury Department payment systems containing sensitive data.
Trump, in the interview, revealed that he plans to expand Musk’s role to include a review of the Department of Education and the military, which has a budget of approximately $850 billion.
Musk’s involvement in the cost-cutting initiative has drawn criticism, particularly because his companies hold over $20 billion in government contracts.
Democratic critics, including Senator Chris Murphy, have condemned the efforts, calling them an “assault on the Constitution” and warning of a “billionaire takeover” of government.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Musk’s role, describing him as an “outside auditor” and downplaying concerns about the rapid pace of the reforms. “I’m not uncomfortable with the pace of this,” Johnson said, adding that Musk’s team is uncovering “incredible abuses of the public fisc.”
