Elon Musk and President Donald Trump says they have revealed a huge “fraud” in the US federal government.

During the comments of the Oval Office on February 11, Trump said that their efforts to reduce spending had increased “billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse.”

“We have found fraud and abuse, I would like to say these two words instead of the third word that I usually use, but in this case, fraud and abuse,” Trump added.

Trump and Musk The word “fraud” or “fraudulent” combined was used about ten times during the oval question and answers session.

To date, no Musk The White House does not show Trump evidence of this alleged criminal activity they found.

On February 12, during a White House press conference, a reporter asked the press secretary Caroline Levitt To get evidence of fraud.

“I like to bring receipts,” Levitte said. She was killed by three decades for $ 36,000 for diversity, fairness and integration [DEI] Programs in American citizenship and immigration services3.4 million dollars to the Comprehensive Innovation Council at the US Patent and Broadcasting Office, and $ 57,000 related to climate change in Sri Lanka.

“I would like to claim that all these things are fraudulent,” Levitte said. “They are wasting and they abuse the US taxpayer.”

When Politify asked these allegations, the White House press office referred to the government accounting office report in April 2024, which was found that “the federal government is losing an estimated $ 233 billion to $ 521 billion” every year for fraud.

The White House also sent a list of dozens of “victories” of the government competence department, including subscriptions and contracts that were canceled in the media. Subordinate Initiatives, consultations and administrative expenditures.

“Nothing they identified, as far as I know, is evidence of“ fraud ”or“ corruption. ”Jessica Telipman, Assistant Dean of the Government Procurement Law at George Washington University, said fraud and corruption are crimes.” This administration has priorities of different spending from the recent administration. But naming all this is that fraud or corruption is very misleading. “

Trump has demolished tools for fraud. He shot more than ten general inspectors and her job was to get rid of fraud and lack of efficiency. It has temporarily stopped the law of corrupt foreign practices, which prevents companies from taking bribes from foreign officials.

Government reports indicate that fraudulent spending is a measurable problem for the federal government. But the evidence for this Dodge New examples have not been proven yet.

Below is an overview of how the government deals with waste, fraud and abuse.

Fraud is not the same waste or abuse

Waste, fraud and abuse are not transformed terms.

The government accounting office (GAO) says that the waste “uses or spends resources indifferently, brilliantly or without purpose.” Mismanage is “incomplete or inappropriate behavior.” Fraud “involves obtaining something valuable through deliberate distortion” and is classified after a legal process.

“Fraud is a very high legal standard,” said David M Wikir, who works on the Federal Defense Council, who advises the Ministry of Defense in Business Administration.

He said that to qualify as fraud, the activity should be illegal with evidence of intention, which is “the most difficult thing to prove.”

Most of the examples he heard from Doug could be characterized by waste and attack. Walker presented the salary protection program, which was approved by Congress in March 2020 to help small companies cover early salary lists of Covid-19s, as an example of a program that had fraudulent payments later. The US Small Business Inspector estimated $ 64 billion in fraud.

The Government Accountability Office works on the auditors, and the public offices of the Federal Inspectors contain auditors and law enforcement on employees. Both indicate the fraud suspected of investigators.

“At any time a person looks at data (data spending, for example), you will see abnormal cases that attract your attention and order a review “. “This does not necessarily mean that the treatment is fraudulent or prepared.”

Westbroooks view the White House list from Dodge He wins and said he saw no evidence of the intention of deception.

“The waste is in the eye of the beholder,” he said. “The fraud is determined, on the other hand, by the court.”

Before Trump, inspectors found a criminal activity

The Congress approved the 1978 Inspector Inspector Law in response to the anti -corruption efforts that started after the 1972 storming of Watergate, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The task of the General Agency inspector is to conduct independent and objective audit, investigations, investigations, waste, fraud and abuse.

Only the president can remove the general inspectors. Trump Firing 17 The Inspector General on January 25, which has paid a lawsuit by many who seek to restore their jobs. The lawsuit says that Trump did not follow the law that requires him to notify Congress 30 days before the removal of the general inspectors. (Trump also expelled a handful to General inspectors In the Spring of 2020.)

Trump later launched the United States Agency for International Development (the US Agency for Development), Inspector General Paul Martin after a continuation of February 10 that the federal government stopped foreign assistance had constituted financial risks. (The unprecedented notice came from the U.S. Inspector for International Development) A pause on external aid Put more than $ 489 million of dietary assistance at risk of misguidance or conversion and the ability of limited officials to respond to fraud and waste allegations.

In the past, many public inspectors have found a fraud.

The General Inspectors on Integrity and Efficiency issued an annual report of 2023 the most prominent federal efforts to combat fraud, waste and abuse. The report showed that the work of the general inspectors led to more than 4000 trials and set nearly $ 93.1 billion in potential savings.

The results resulted in about 3000 comments, reprimand and termination of federal contractors, federal, state and local employees.

In recent years, public inspectors have found fraudulent activity in Covid-19 relief programs, Including $ 5.4 billion in friendly relief Loans It was obtained through social security numbers fabricated.

Other public inspectors of the other agencies have also found violations that pushed prosecutions, including a plan to vaccinate bids related to the contracts of NGOs that are funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

Another investigation led to a settlement of $ 6.9 million with an international non -governmental organization on inflated bills. The Inspector General also suspended or prevented some institutions from dealing with the United States Agency for International Development.