Mississippi State Auditor Shad White is set to release a report detailing around $400 million worth of waste uncovered in audits conducted during his time in office. White and his team, inspired by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have dubbed themselves the Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency (MOGE) due to their focus on attention to detail and uncovering wasteful spending. While the auditor’s office does not have the authority to cut spending, they inform state lawmakers of their findings.
White mentioned that there have been significant findings in Medicaid, with millions of dollars going to income-ineligible individuals. He pointed out an agency spending nearly $6,000 on televisions compared to the federal government’s $2,000 for similar items. The report, totaling 800 pages, will highlight various instances of inefficient spending, including funds meant for welfare being misappropriated for beauty pageants and executive salaries rather than aiding the poor. Despite Mississippi being a red state, there is still a significant amount of waste to be uncovered and rectified.
In addition to Mississippi, other states are also focusing on uncovering government waste. White mentioned Oklahoma auditor Cindy Byrd working on a similar initiative in her state. He emphasized the importance of every state taking a closer look at their spending practices to ensure that fraud, waste, and abuse are minimized. With the Department of Justice highlighting such issues at the federal level, it is crucial for all levels of government to address inefficiencies and ensure taxpayer funds are used effectively.
Efforts to tackle wasteful spending are gaining momentum across the country, with more public officials and auditors advocating for increased scrutiny of government expenditures. White criticized unnecessary expenditures such as microaggression training sessions for engineers and grants for social justice yoga for preschoolers. He stressed that the focus should be on efficient use of public funds, especially in states like Mississippi where a significant portion of the population lives below the poverty line.
White’s work in identifying millions of misspent dollars in taxpayer funds has drawn attention to the need for increased transparency and accountability in government spending. By highlighting instances of waste and misuse of funds in areas like Medicaid and welfare appropriations, White aims to encourage other state governments to conduct similar audits and ensure taxpayer money is spent efficiently. Cooperation among state auditors and officials from different states is essential to create a network focused on rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse at all levels of government.
