Elon Musk alleges $50b treasury fraud after federal choose limits DOGE knowledge entry

Elon Musk ignited a firestorm on social media after a federal choose issued an order quickly blocking the division of presidency effectivity (DOGE) from accessing delicate treasury division knowledge. Musk responded with a barrage of posts on X (previously Twitter), alleging widespread fraud in authorities entitlement funds.
The order, issued Saturday by US district choose Paul Engelmayer, helps a lawsuit filed by 19 Democratic state attorneys normal.

They argue that granting DOGE “full entry” to the Treasury’s cost programs violates federal legal guidelines safeguarding delicate knowledge, together with social safety, medicare, veterans advantages, and tax refund info. A listening to on the matter is scheduled for February 20. Till then, DOGE may have restricted entry to treasury knowledge.
Regardless of the authorized setback, Musk claimed that DOGE had already uncovered important points throughout the treasury’s cost programs.
“[Friday], I used to be advised that there are at present over $100 billion per yr in entitlement funds to people with no Social Safety Quantity or perhaps a momentary ID quantity. If correct, that is extraordinarily suspicious,” Musk wrote. He additional alleged that Treasury insiders estimated half of those funds, or roughly $50 billion yearly, may very well be “unequivocal and apparent fraud.”
Musk criticised previous treasury officers for allegedly stifling efforts to analyze wasteful spending.
“No one in treasury administration cared sufficient earlier than,” Musk posted. “I do need to credit score the working-level folks in treasury who’ve wished to do that for a few years however have been stopped by prior administration.”
In keeping with Musk, DOGE and the treasury had agreed on measures to enhance monetary oversight, together with the requirement that every one outgoing authorities funds carry a cost categorization code—a key component for profitable audits. He claimed that many transactions at present lack such coding, hampering audit efforts.
Musk additionally advocated for obligatory documentation of cost rationales in Treasury data, criticising the present follow the place the remark discipline is usually left clean.
“Importantly, we’re not but making use of ANY judgment to this rationale however merely requiring that SOME try be made to clarify the cost greater than NOTHING!” he wrote.
Highlighting safety considerations, Musk referred to as for stricter enforcement of the “Do-Not-Pay” listing, which is supposed to dam funds to fraudulent entities, deceased people, or these linked to terrorist organisations.
“It might at present take as much as a yr to get on this listing, which is way too lengthy. This listing ought to be up to date not less than weekly, if not day by day,” Musk insisted, emphasising that these reforms are being pushed by profession authorities staff somewhat than DOGE workers.
Musk concluded his posts with a scathing critique of the Treasury’s historic strategy to monetary administration. “Every little thing at Treasury was geared in direction of criticism minimisation. Individuals who obtain cash do not complain, however individuals who do not obtain cash (particularly fraudsters) complain very loudly, so the fraud was allowed to proceed.”