Elon Musk Goes Behind the Scenes at DOGE, Reveals Biggest Source of Fraud

In an exclusive FOX Business interview with Larry Kudlow, Elon Musk – the visionary behind Tesla, SpaceX, and now the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – provided an in-depth look into the inner workings of his team and how they identify alleged spending waste and fraud within government agencies.

“We examine the president's executive orders and also follow the money,” Musk explained. “We started by taking a closer look at USAID, as they were completely violating the president's orders to suspend foreign aid.”

Musk went on to claim that one of the world’s largest sources of fraud lies within government-funded non-governmental organizations (NGOs). “I think one of the biggest sources of fraud in the world is government-funded NGOs. This is a gigantic loophole where the government gives money to an NGO, yet there are no effective controls in place,” he asserted.

Musk confirmed that DOGE has “practically” gained access to spending data from every government agency. The organization prides itself on being “transparent line-by-line” about the expenditures it plans to cut—a detail prominently displayed on their official website.

DOGE was established by President Donald Trump through an executive order signed on Inauguration Day. According to the order, DOGE is a temporary agency within the White House tasked with slashing trillions of dollars from the national deficit over an 18-month period, concluding on July 4, 2026.

Addressing critics who have raised concerns about DOGE's extensive access to federal systems—including the Treasury Department’s payment system—and its strategies to cancel federal contracts and reduce spending across various agencies, Musk defended the initiative. “What we're adding here is care and competence,” he said. “There's a massive amount of fraud—from people submitting Social Security numbers for benefits, unemployment, Small Business Administration loans, to medical care. We're determined to put a stop to all of that.”

Musk elaborated on DOGE's operational approach, noting that the agency works closely with Cabinet secretaries and their respective departments. “We essentially act as tech support for these departments, helping them gain control over the sprawling federal bureaucracy, which is currently dominated by career officials rather than the politically-appointed leaders,” he said.

According to Musk, DOGE currently employs around 100 people, with plans to expand to 200, bringing in experts in information security, software development, and finance. When asked about the criteria for selecting target agencies, Musk revealed that the team is approaching the issue “broadly” across all government departments.

“Frankly, I can’t believe I’m doing this. But when you see an enormous federal budget deficit—currently at $2 trillion, and growing—with interest payments higher than the Defense Department’s budget, it’s a real wake-up call,” Musk said.

He concluded, “If we don’t act now, there will be no money left for anything else—we’ll just be servicing debt. I truly don’t want America to go bankrupt.”