Government Waste Revisited: How D.O.G.E. is Changing the Conversation

BLOG 21 - By Wayne F Burt Jr

Back in December, I sounded the alarm with my blog Fiscal Follies: The Alarming Truth About Government Spending. At the time, the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) hadn’t even launched. Like many taxpayers, I’ve been outraged for years—watching both political parties squander our hard-earned money with little accountability. What’s even more maddening? Most Americans don’t seem to care. They keep accepting higher taxes and smaller paychecks, while getting less and less in return.

Sure, presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama talked a big game about tackling government waste—and the media applauded. But nothing changed or happened. It was all theater. Then came Donald Trump, who actually delivered on that promise. And suddenly, the same media that once praised budget crackdowns went berserk as did the Democratic Left.

The truth is, what D.O.G.E. has uncovered makes past scandals look like pocket change. It’s a bipartisan failure—a colossal, decades-long Ponzi scheme fleecing the American public. Ever wonder where your tax dollars really go? Thanks to Elon Musk and the watchdogs at D.O.G.E., we’re finally getting a glimpse behind the curtain. And trust me—it’s uglier than you imagined.

Inside the Machine: How D.O.G.E. is Unearthing Trillions in Waste and Prehistoric Bureaucracy

Ever felt like government spending is a bit... opaque? Like money is just vanishing into a black hole of bureaucracy? Well, you're not alone. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.), an initiative backed by President Trukmp and spearheaded by Elon Musk, we're getting an unprecedented look at the sheer scale of waste, fraud, and mind-boggling inefficiency hidden within the system.

The D.O.G.E. team has been digging deep, and what they're finding is enough to make you numb. According to the team, it's so common that by the hundredth time they hear about it, it's hard not to get a little numb, and by the 200th time, it's just another day at the office.

Uncovering Financial Madness

One of the most basic issues they found was within the Treasury's payment system, which processes a staggering $5 trillion per year. Shockingly, payments were often made with no budget code. This meant there was formally no indication of what the money was for. As one D.O.G.E. member put it, "A payment was made, you did not know what it was for. It could have been for anything".

A particularly egregious example involved a $4 billion COVID fund in the Department of Education. This fund had no receipt required to draw down money. Before D.O.G.E. got involved, investigations found money from this fund was used to rent out Caesar's Palace for parties and even lease entire stadiums. Yes, taxpayer money was literally fueling massive parties. The fix implemented by D.O.G.E. was incredibly simple: requiring that anyone drawing down money must first upload a receipt. This was the only change. They didn't even initially say they would check the receipt; it could have been a picture of your dog. But as soon as anything was required, nobody drew down money anymore. This kind of fraud, they note, often starts small and hidden but gets more and more brazen over the years if left unchecked, eventually leading to renting out stadiums.

The issues weren't limited to large funds. They also found the Small Business Administration giving loans to questionable recipients. This included loans to people over the age of 120, totaling around $330 million. Some recipients even had birthdays listed in the future, like the year 2165. As a D.O.G.E. member remarked, this is either fraudulent or the birthdate is wrong. Loans potentially given to dead people accounted for around $660 million.

International aid programs also showed significant inefficiencies. For instance, the Inter-American Foundation receives $50 million annually for projects like farming in Peru or improving the marketability of peas in Guatemala. However, the estimate provided suggests that only 10-15 cents on the dollar actually reaches the end recipient. The rest goes towards management, travel, and is siphoned off through layers of subcontractors, described as "stealing" before it reaches the intended cause. Sometimes, you peel the onion and there's nothing there. Even money intended for seemingly critical needs like saving baby pandas (where sometimes, despite funding, not even one panda is accounted for) or fighting Ebola seems to get diverted, sometimes ending up with accounting firms in DC instead of the frontline.

Tackling the Stone Age of Bureaucracy

Beyond the financial flows, D.O.G.E. is also confronting shockingly outdated operational systems. Consider this: the normal process for retiring from government service takes over six months. Why? Because it involves compiling replica case folders by hand. These physical folders are moved around on carts and calculations are done manually in 2025. These paper folders can be incredibly thick, described as thicker than the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Where are these vast amounts of paper stored? In an actual mine or "cave". Inside, you find filing cabinets dating back to the 1960s. Reports suggest over 1,000 people were involved in carrying paper into this mine. This technology is described as "very prehistoric," like "Flintstones" level stuff. One D.O.G.E. member joked that dinosaurs would think it's old. The Postal Service also faces similar issues, being stuck in the past due to regulations and losing money almost every year since 2007.

Fortunately, D.O.G.E. is working to drag these processes into the modern era. They are bringing processors online and have successfully put the first 25 retirees through an entirely online retirement process. This modernization is seen as a dream come true for many within retirement services and also has the potential to free up staff who were literally carrying paper into a mine for far more productive work.

Facing Resistance and Extreme Cases

Not all agencies welcome the scrutiny. One agency that reportedly put up significant resistance was the United States Institute of Peace. Ironically described as the "least peaceful" agency they worked with, D.O.G.E. found several concerning things there, including loaded guns inside their headquarters, spending on private jets, and a $130,000 contract with a former member of the Taliban for "generic services" with no clear description. Compounding this, their chief accountant deleted over a terabyte of accounting records shortly after D.O.G.E. began looking into them. This was clearly identified as a cover-up and is illegal. This extreme case was referred to the FBI and DOJ. They also found the agency would sweep unspent money into a private bank account with no congressional oversight, which they used to fund events at their headquarters and on private jets. This was considered the most extreme case of wasteful spending they had found.

The D.O.G.E. Team: Dedicated and Determined

The team at D.O.G.E. is composed of dedicated individuals, some who even dropped out of places like Harvard because they believe the potential impact of this work on reforming government is more vast than anything they could learn in a classroom. They work incredibly hard, often staying up until 2 AM or later. Their efforts have already reportedly saved $160 billion for US taxpayers.

While they face hostility and threats for uncovering these issues (including hate mail and threats, with some team members being hanged in effigy), they also find significant support and receive great ideas from many government employees who want to see reform. The conflicts are the exception, not the rule, and there is a lot of collaboration with what they describe as "missionaries, not mercenaries" within the government who believe in their mission. D.O.G.E. is giving these employees tools and systems they've always wanted but haven't had.

It's clear that finding and fixing government waste and fraud is a massive, long-term enterprise. The D.O.G.E. team emphasizes that if they take their eye off the ball, the waste and fraud will come roaring back. They are working to remove funding and grants in ways that would require significant effort to restart the wasteful practices.

Based on what D.O.G.E. has found and is actively doing, it's a vital endeavor, potentially saving billions and helping bring government processes out of the literal stone age.

The Time to Act is Now

As of the writing, D.O.G.E has saved the American Taxpayer over $165 BILLION. That's $1,024 per taxpayer. Could you use $1,024 back in your checking account? I know I could.

For decades, politicians have used the machinery of government as their personal piggy bank—leveraging public funds for political gain and private enrichment, while taxpayers foot the bill. But now, for the first time in generations, we have a President who answers to no one but the American people. Someone determined to return what’s been taken and restore integrity to the system.

The mission to root out waste, fraud, and abuse isn’t over—it’s just getting started. Thanks to the groundbreaking work of D.O.G.E., we’re finally pulling back the curtain on the biggest fiscal con in modern history. But exposing the problem is only step one. Fixing it requires all of us. Check out the following YouTube Short by Victor Davis Hanson which really puts this in focus.

Here’s how you can take action today:

1. Stay Informed – Knowledge is power. Follow investigations and reports from D.O.G.E. and other watchdogs to understand where your tax dollars are really going.

2. Support Reform – Advocate for policies that demand transparency and accountability in government spending. Vote for leaders who will end the waste, not perpetuate it.

3. Hold Officials Accountable – Contact your representatives. Let them know you expect action—not excuses—on cutting fraud, waste, and abuse.

We pay for this government. It works for us. If we want a government that’s efficient, transparent, and accountable, we must demand it. By staying engaged and supporting initiatives like D.O.G.E., we can reclaim control and ensure taxpayer dollars serve the people—not the politicians.