Trump to Unleash Musk, DOGE on Military: Expects to Find ‘Fraud and Abuse’

Trump to Unleash Musk, DOGE on Military: Expects to Find ‘Fraud and Abuse’

Why It MattersMusk and his DOGE team, which is an unofficial task force created by executive order, have upended federal institutions as they seek to gut what Trump and Republicans have alleged is gross overspending and mismanagement of funds.Some of the moves, such as the attempt to freeze all federal grants and loans, have prompted fierce backlash from Democrats and some public quarters, while others have applauded the aggressive pursuit of fat trimming.Last week, courts started to knockback some of Musk’s efforts, such as his attempt to access sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department or to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

However, Musk continues to seek unfettered access to internal data of agencies across the government, including the Labor Department, U.S. Treasury, Office of Personnel Management, General Services Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Small Business Administration and more.

What To Know

In a pre-taped interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier, Trump revealed that he is set to turn Musk loose on the Pentagon and the DOE.

“I don’t know if it’s kickbacks or what’s going on, but the people—look, I ran on this, and the people want me to find it, and I’ve had a great help with Elon Musk, who’s been terrific,” Trump said, adding that Musk “is not gaining anything” through his work at DOGE.

Trump added: “Then I’m going to tell him, very soon, like, maybe in 24 hours, to go check through the Department of Education. He’s going to find the same thing. Then I’m going to go to the military, let’s check the military. We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse, the people elected me on that.”

What Happens Next?

Trump said he would give the order possibly within 24 hours to hit the DOE, but no timeline for when he might order a review of the military. Democrats have pushed back on a number of his previous orders with lawsuits, and they may do the same to try and protect the education department.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO Elon Musk gestures while speaking during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena on January 20 in Washington, D.C.