Elon Musk’s so-called Ministry of Government Efficiency (Doge) In the first six weeks of the new Trump administration, the federal government reversed upside down. It has been from Agencyaccess to sensitive data and payment systems, all in the audit of government and stop fraud, waste and abuse. Doge released some “Survey Results” on the websitemany of them have Revealed as mistake.
However, two federal auditors with years of experience have conducted financial and technical audits for the government, saying Doge’s actions are the furthest to the actual audit. Both requested to speak on anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media.
“Honestly, comparing the real audit to what Doge does, no comparison,” said an auditor who spoke with Wired. “None of them are auditors.”
September, speech During the presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump said he would establish a government efficiency task force led by Musk, which would conduct a “complete financial and performance audit” of the entire federal government. Musk initially said he wanted to cut $2 trillion From the federal budget, exceed the discretionary budget for the entire 2023 $1.7 trillion. Musk has since eased his ambitions, saying his goal is to reduce government spending by $1 trillion. Still, he claimed that the money could be cut by determining waste, fraud and abuse, and continued to claim that Doge cuts agents and resources as part of the audit.
Although of course there are some government funds used for fraud,Government Accountability Office (GAO) study An estimated 2024 to lose $233 billion to $521 billion in fraudulent activities, even if all spending is recovered, Musk, who hopes to cut $1 trillion from his budget.
The auditor who spoke with Wired claimed Musk’s claim was incorrect and that Doge seemed to have completely evaded existing processes to actually eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.
“Audiences that follow the universally accepted Government Audit Standards (GAGAS), also known as Yellow Book Audits, are conducted in accordance with standards issued by the U.S. Office of Government Accountability (GAO),” the first auditor said. Audits can focus on agency finance, compliance, or performance. “This is the gold standard for how you review the government.”
Auditors tell Wire: Plan, Evidence Collection, Evaluation, Reporting and Follow-up, there are usually five stages of Gagas audit. Auditors are committed to defining the scope of audits, identifying all applicable laws and standards, and proposing audit plans. Next, the auditor interviews employees, reviews financial records through data, reports and transactions, and records them all the time. From there, auditors will evaluate this information based on policy or procedure to find out if there is some kind of suspected waste, fraud or abuse, and send out a report detailing their findings and making recommendations. Usually, these reports are Public available for public. After the audit, the auditor can follow up with the agency to ensure changes are made.
