At the first hearing of the House’s Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its leader Elon Musk drove many of the charged exchanges between lawmakers on Feb. 12.
The hearing, presided over by Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), was held to discuss improper payments to Medicare and Medicaid. Some lawmakers mentioned specific legislation and other strategies to counter waste, fraud, and abuse in the two health insurance programs.
Democrats questioned whether DOGE, a temporary advisory body championed by Republican lawmakers, had crossed into illegality.
Here are some highlights from the Oversight subcommittee’s inaugural hearing, convened just weeks after the inception of Musk’s DOGE.
Greene vowed that her subcommittee would “fight the war on waste shoulder to shoulder with President [Donald] Trump, Elon Musk, and the DOGE team.”
Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) was critical of both Musk and Trump, saying the two were “recklessly and illegally dismantling the federal government.”
She called on Musk to testify before the subcommittee. House Republicans previously blocked a subpoena to require his appearance before the Oversight Committee.
Republicans largely support Musk and DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts, which have been targeted by multiple lawsuits and threats aimed at its engineers.
“For years, Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight Committee have condemned this waste. But now that DOGE is taking real action, Democrats are choosing to defend the bureaucracy and status quo instead of standing up for the American people,” Comer said.
Rep. Bill Timmons (R-S.C.) questioned the lawsuits filed against DOGE.
Trump’s Inspector General Firings
Democrats at the hearing spoke about the president’s recent firings of numerous inspectors general across a range of agencies. Several of those inspectors general have filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of Trump’s actions.The president has said the key oversight positions would not remain vacant for long, pledging to “put good people in there that will be very good.”
There were already 15 inspector general positions still open at the end of Biden’s term.
Inspector general firings have caused controversy before.
During the Feb. 12 hearing, Casar said Trump’s firings included inspectors general investigating Musk-linked companies.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), ranking member of the Oversight Committee, also criticized the firings.
“We want to have objective, neutral inspectors general who are monitoring government waste, fraud, and abuse,” he said.
There are more than 13,800 open recommendations from inspectors general.
$1 Trillion in Savings Possible: Witness
Witnesses and lawmakers also delved into specific reforms to address improper payments that contribute to high social spending.Haywood Talcove, chief executive officer for government with LexisNexis Risk Solutions, told Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) he believes the government could save $1 trillion through a few reforms—“simply putting in front-end identity verification, eliminating self-certification, and monitoring the back end of the programs that are providing the benefits.”
He pointed out that Missouri already relies on SteadyIQ to safeguard certification,
Greene asked Dawn Royal, another witness, about a lack of identity verification measures in public programs.
“Does this mean the federal government and some states are giving out billions of dollars to individuals without verifying who they are or whether they meet program eligibility requirements?” Greene asked.
Royal, a past president of the United Council on Welfare Fraud and a welfare fraud investigator, replied, “Yes, ma’am, that’s correct.”
Legislation and Subcommittee Report Previewed
Timmons also drew attention to his bill to mandate the Internal Revenue Service share data with law enforcement authorities with the goal of pinpointing fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from the pandemic era.Talcove described the PPP as “a virtual buffet for fraudsters” in the COVID-19 period.
Burchett later recommended that the subcommittee adopt Timmons’s legislation.
Timmons also said he was at work on legislation to boost identity and income verification requirements for benefits.
“All we have to do is adopt what has already been proven in Missouri,” he said, referring to the SteadyIQ system.
Timmons estimated that the bills could save a collective $300 billion.
Stansbury, meanwhile, said she and the committee’s ranking member, Connolly, had developed “a set of bipartisan ideas we want to work on together that would root out waste, fraud, and abuse and modernize and streamline how agencies deliver vital programs for the American people.”
In her closing remarks, Greene promised that her subcommittee would soon issue a report outlining bills to address waste, fraud, and abuse.
