Trump’s Billionaire Buddies Appear to Be Going After Low Hanging Fruit

This slide article is less about wasteful spending and more about Trump.

However, Musk and Ramaswamy appear to be focused on reducing headcount, instead of digging into the weeds to ferret out wasteful spending by going through audits.

It’s easier to wave a magic wand and pronounce that firing civil servants will achieve DOGE’s goals of saving 2 trillion dollars. But it fits with Trump’s catchphrase from his “reality TV” show, The Apprentice, “You’re fired!”

Digging through audits is tedious, not glamorous, and doesn’t generate “eye candy” headlines.

New Audit Reveals Nearly $1 Billion In Wasted Spending

Story by Grace Hall. November 5, 2024.

The Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2024 performance report has revealed nearly $1 billion in wasteful spending. An audit of Argonne National Laboratory found $232.5 million in questionable expenses due to improper accounting and weak subcontractor oversight. In one case, the Department had awarded a $100 million grant to a company under investigation for exporting semiconductor equipment to China, later rescinding it.

The department also came under fire due to $4 billion in federal energy rebates being at risk of fraud because of poor oversight. Increased funding from recent legislation has worsened the vulnerability.