The head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), American entrepreneur Elon Musk has revealed that the country’s Finance Ministry pays $100 billion annually to unidentified individuals.
‘Yesterday, I was informed that over $100 billion a year is currently being paid out to individuals who do not have a social individual code or even a temporary identification number. If this is true, it is highly suspicious,’ Musk wrote on his social media page X.
As the businessman noted, when asked what percentage of these payments constituted ‘clear and obvious’ fraud, the Treasury Department said it was about $50 billion a year, or one billion dollars a week.
Musk said DOGE and U.S. Treasury Department officials concluded that going forward, all government payments should be categorised for financial audits, and the need for any payment should be justified. It was also found that the list of unavailable entities for payment, including fraudulent organisations and those linked to terrorist groups, should also be updated at least once a week.
Earlier, current US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the US government’s federal spending has reached unprecedented peacetime levels, with a budget deficit of 6.8-7 per cent of GDP. He called the current state of US fiscal policy ‘out of control’ and expressed concern about possible consequences.