The House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, also known as the DOGE Subcommittee, held its inaugural hearing on Tuesday.
The hearing was part of a broader investigation into the "war on waste" within the federal government. The DOGE Subcommittee, an extension of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is designed to work in tandem with the auditing efforts of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk through the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.
The hearing, titled "The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud," was opened by Subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Greene highlighted the efficiency initiatives of the Trump administration as key tools in tackling the escalating national debt. "No matter how bad the federal government fails the American people, it still takes your money, it still pays its own federal employees, and it never goes out of business," Greene stated, according to The Daily Signal.
The focus of the hearing was on improper payments made by the federal government, particularly within Medicaid and Medicare. Greene expressed her anticipation for the findings of the investigation and the potential solutions to this crisis. The committee called upon four witnesses to testify under oath about fraudulent payments and waste within entitlement programs.
Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions for Government, was the primary recipient of questions during the hearing. Talcove discussed the exploitation of weak safeguards by bad actors to illegally obtain money from American entitlement programs. "Since 2003, federal agencies have reported approximately $2.7 trillion in cumulative improper payments, a staggering figure that underscores the persistent vulnerabilities across government programs," Talcove stated.
Talcove proposed the adoption of electronic verification systems, a standard in the private sector, to combat this widespread fraud. He emphasized the proven effectiveness of these tools in preventing fraud before it happens and urged government agencies to implement them on a larger scale. Talcove also spoke about "ghosts" from foreign countries using fake identities to steal money from U.S. taxpayers.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., resonated with Talcove's remarks. "The gravy train for a lot of these folks has been on biscuit wheels, and its about to run off the dadgum tracks, and its about time. Could you imagine defending waste, fraud, and abuse?" Burchett asked Talcove to elaborate on his suggestions for reforming the programs.
Talcove responded by advocating for the adoption of private sector practices. "My number right now, between federal, state, and local government, is you can save $1 trillion a year by simply putting in front-end identity verification, eliminating self-certification, and monitoring the back end of the programs that are providing the benefits . Theyll take that 20% fraud rate that youre seeing in the public sector down below 5%.
However, not all members of the subcommittee were satisfied with the hearing. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., expressed his disapproval of Musk's influence in the government and criticized House Republicans for their desire to dismantle the Department of Education and Medicare and Medicaid. Garcia also accused Musk of securing substantial tax cuts for himself and his companies at the expense of the American people.
Democrats also took issue with Trump's recent dismissal of agency inspectors general. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, voiced his opposition to this move, suggesting that Musk was advocating for the firing of inspectors general to avoid investigations into his companies.
Following the hearing, Greene dismissed these criticisms, stating, "The president, he can fire anyone he wants, and certainly with $36 trillion in debt . If the president wants to fire inspector generals, if he wants to fire anyone, its up to him, and its his purview to do it.
Rep. Eric Burlison, D-Mo., echoed Greene's sentiments, noting that it is common for incoming presidents to replace political appointees, including inspector generals, with their own choices. Burlison also criticized the personal attacks during the hearing, questioning the justification for such expenses.
Greene expressed her frustration with the partisan divide within the subcommittee. She noted that while some Democrats seemed serious about the issue, others used the hearing as an opportunity to attack President Trump, Elon Musk, and herself, turning the hearing into a political spectacle.
The hearing concluded with Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., accusing Republicans of hypocrisy for advocating for debt reduction while simultaneously pushing to raise the debt ceiling in the budget reconciliation process. Rep. Brian Jack, R-Ga., rejected this narrative, arguing that the anticipated growth under President Trump's agenda would offset any deficit.
Burlison partially agreed with the criticism of the Republican leadership but argued that addressing the debt would be a longer process. He acknowledged the need for some flexibility on the debt ceiling but emphasized that such a move should be mourned, not celebrated.
Login