The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) released alarming findings from a survey of unemployment insurance claims on their X account. The survey discovered that thousands of individuals with future birthdates had claimed benefits, as well as many supposedly very young and very old people. Specifically, the survey found that 24.5k people over 115 years old claimed $59M in benefits, 28k people between 1 and 5 years old claimed $254M in benefits, and 9.7k people with birth dates over 15 years in the future claimed $69M in benefits. One person even claimed $41k with a birthday in 2154. The Department of Labor was contacted for comment but did not respond.
Elon Musk, spearheading the DOGE effort to uncover waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, was shocked by the survey’s findings. Musk took to Twitter, stating, “Your tax dollars were going to pay fraudulent unemployment claims for fake people born in the future!” He also pointed out the lack of sanity checks in place for impossibly young or impossibly old people receiving unemployment insurance benefits. Musk’s efforts have been met with mixed reviews, with Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah criticizing them as “reckless incompetence.”
In addition to uncovering fraudulent unemployment claims, DOGE has also terminated 108 supposedly “wasteful” contracts, such as one for an “Executive Transformational Leadership Training Program.” Among these contracts, it was found that taxpayer funds were going towards supporting claims for non-existent individuals born in the future. The findings of this survey have highlighted the need for greater oversight and scrutiny on government spending to prevent fraud and abuse.
The survey findings have cast doubt on the effectiveness and efficiency of the current system in place for processing unemployment insurance claims. With no apparent safeguards against fraudulent claims from individuals who are obviously too old or too young to be eligible for benefits, it raises questions about the overall integrity of the system. The lack of response from the Department of Labor regarding these findings only adds to the concerns raised by the survey.
Elon Musk’s involvement in exposing government waste, fraud, and abuse has brought attention to the issue of improper handling of taxpayer funds. Musk’s tweets highlighting the absurdity of fraudulent claims made by individuals with future birthdates have garnered widespread attention. The survey results have prompted calls for stricter controls and oversight to prevent such fraudulent activities from occurring in the future.
In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, Americans have been closely watching the efforts of DOGE and Elon Musk to uncover and address government inefficiencies. Musk’s dedication to rooting out waste and fraud in federal government spending has received mixed reviews, with some praising his efforts while others criticize them as lacking accountability. Moving forward, it is clear that greater transparency and oversight are needed to prevent further instances of fraudulent claims and misuse of taxpayer funds.
