OPINION: DOGE audit exposes trillions lost in government's black hole

In my last editorial, I detailed how USAID — supposedly an aid agency — is actually a $44 billion slush fund for globalist corruption, media manipulation and political interference. While claiming to provide humanitarian relief, it bankrolls DEI activism, fuels riots and even funds terrorist-linked groups.

USAID didn’t just meddle in foreign affairs; it played a key role in Trump’s impeachment, colluded with the CIA against a sitting president and funneled taxpayer dollars to media outlets like The New York Times, Politico and Reuters to push its agenda.

I noted that Catholic Relief Services took $4.6 billion from USAID. Currently, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is suing the Trump administration for cutting off federal funding. Two points. First, the Roman church isn’t exactly strapped for cash — it doesn’t need taxpayer subsidies. Second, it’s curious how liberals, who usually scream about church-state separation, are fine with handing billions to a religious group — so long as it funds their causes.

According to the 2023 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report, Biden Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen predicts Medicare will be insolvent by 2031 and Social Security by 2033. Meanwhile, the national debt sits at $36.5 trillion, with $227 trillion in additional unfunded liabilities. If we don’t act now, we’re headed for fiscal ruin.

The solution? Step one: eliminate every ounce of waste, fraud and abuse. Step two: slash federal spending.

Few realize where the bulk of the federal budget goes:

1. Medicare/Medicaid – $1.7 trillion
2. Social Security – $1.5 trillion
3. Interest on the debt – $1 trillion
4. Defense – $882 billion

The first two are politically untouchable — unless we eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. And given those staggering sums, there’s plenty to find if anyone bothers to look.

Last week, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) took a deep dive into the Social Security Administration (SSA), and the findings were staggering. The SSA database lists 398,416,213 people alive. Yet, according to the latest U.S. Census, the country’s population is 334,914,896. Where did these extra 63.5 million “living” Americans come from?

It gets worse. According to DOGE, the database shows that 20,789,524 centenarians are still alive — despite the U.S. Census listing only 83,732. Even more miraculously, 12,428,110 are supposedly over 120 years old, and one person is older than the United States itself: over 360. Elon Musk joked that “Twilight” must be real and that vampires are collecting Social Security.

Here’s the real issue: If the SSA flags you as alive and over 70, you’re probably getting payments. DOGE needs to audit every one of those 12.4 million ghost accounts, track where the money is going, and prosecute the fraudsters. Every stolen dollar should be repaid — with interest — and those responsible should go to prison.

DOGE also uncovered $4.7 trillion in untraceable U.S. Treasury payments — a staggering black hole of taxpayer money. The culprit? A blatant disregard for a basic financial control: tracking codes.

Every Treasury payment is supposed to be assigned a Treasury Access Symbol — a unique identifier linking payments to specific budget line items. It’s standard accounting practice, not some complex bureaucratic innovation. The system exists. It just wasn’t used.

Let that sink in. $4.7 trillion printed and handed out without a paper trail. Not misplaced. Not miscalculated. Just vanished into the ether, unmarked, and unaccounted for.

Call me a cynic, but if a private business “lost” that kind of money, executives would be in handcuffs. Yet in Washington, D.C., it’s just another day at the office.

Then there’s the remote work racket. In November 2024, Biden SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley signed a five-year deal with the American Federation of Government Employees union, locking in remote work for 42,000 SSA employees — up to five days a week — until 2029.

But why? The data confirms what many suspect — remote work has become a gold mine for double-dipping. A staggering number of employees are juggling multiple full-time jobs while collecting a government paycheck:

• ResumeBuilder.com (2024): 37% of remote workers admitted to working two full-time jobs.
• Monster.com (2023): 37% of employees reported working multiple full-time jobs.

I reached out to DOGE and suggested a full audit of every federal employee collecting two (or more) full-time salaries. If they’re working another full-time job, fire them immediately. There’s no way they’re putting in eight honest hours for taxpayers while working a full-time shift elsewhere.

With Social Security facing mandatory cuts by 2033, every American should welcome a real audit to stop the drain. Washington burns through trillions, pays the dead, and lets bureaucrats double-dip while the system collapses. DOGE’s audits prove that waste isn’t a glitch, it’s the design. Demand accountability now, or D.C. will continue to bleed America dry.

Courtney served 20 years as a nuclear engineering officer aboard submarines and 15 years as a graduate school instructor. A political independent, he spends his time chasing his eight grandchildren around Moscow.