The White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk, has been a flashpoint for lawmakers in recent weeks — a dynamic that persisted Wednesday as members of the House Oversight Committee met to examine the organization’s efforts.
The subcommittee — dubbed the Delivering on Government Efficiency Committee and chaired by Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene — convened to examine what Republicans have said is the improper use of funds and fraud at federal agencies. But Democrats on the panel instead seized the opportunity to slam Musk and his government efficiency outfit as illegitimate and unaccountable.
lawmakers offered only limited questioning for the panel of witnesses gathered to testify about government payment systems, including Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solution.
Talcove told the committee that outdated government systems were vehicles for a “silent war” against American taxpayers, arguing that criminals with access to payment infrastructure stole roughly $1 trillion and sent the lion’s share overseas.
“If left unchecked, the U.S. government will continue to lead the world in funding cybercriminals,” he said, advising Congress to update federal privacy law and fund fraud prevention measures across the government.
Dawn Royal, a welfare fraud investigator and director of the United Council of Welfare Fraud, testified that the people charged with stopping fraud in government welfare programs are also victims of outdated infrastructure.
“Investigators continue to be hamstrung by antiquated regulations, conflicting directives from federal agencies and the lack of access to technology,” she said. “Sadly, investigators have also found themselves at odds with career bureaucrats who recite watered-down facts about fraud in order to promote their political agendas.”
Lambert here: LexisNexis would say that. But they’re not going to get a dime. All the work — and the money — will go to Palantir.
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