DOGE Subcommittee Uncovers Massive $2.7 Trillion in Improper Payments—Leavitt Responds

The White House addressed concerns on Wednesday regarding trillions in fraudulent Medicaid and Medicare payments, following revelations from a congressional subcommittee investigating government waste.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question from Real America’s Voice White House reporter Brian Glenn about the ongoing Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) investigation into improper federal payments.

Earlier in the day, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who leads the DOGE subcommittee, announced the committee’s findings.

Dennis Quaid’s #1 Warning for Americans

According to Greene, the subcommittee has identified $2.7 trillion in improper and fraudulent government payments since its formation.

$2.7 TRILLION of YOUR money.

Down the drain.

Tomorrow, the @DOGECommittee will EXPOSE the waste, fraud, and abuse of improper payments doled out by the federal government.

WATCH the video below and TUNE IN tomorrow at 10AM! pic.twitter.com/qvzpHsuT7L

— DOGE Subcommittee (@DOGECommittee) February 11, 2025

The staggering figure comes from a report released late last year, highlighting widespread errors in federal spending.

NewsNation previously reported that since 2003, the federal government has spent $2.7 trillion in payment errors, including funds that were misallocated, sent to ineligible recipients, or outright fraudulent.

DOGE’s deeper investigation aims to determine the full extent of waste and recover taxpayer dollars.

During Wednesday’s White House press briefing, Glenn pressed Leavitt on the implications of DOGE’s findings and the administration’s response.

Brian Glenn: “I want to go back to DOGE for just a second. Earlier the subcommittee headed by Chairman Marjorie Taylor Greene, her and her staff discovered $2.7 trillion in improper payments to Medicare, Medicaid, overseas, to people who should not have gotten it. Some in this room might have missed that press conference. Can you elaborate on what the President is thinking at this point?”

Leavitt acknowledged the widespread fraud, reiterating that President Trump’s administration is committed to uncovering and eliminating government waste.

Karoline Leavitt: “Well, again, that’s another example. There is a very long list of the fraud, waste, and abuse that DOGE is identifying on a daily basis. Elon Musk also talked yesterday about Social Security payments that are going out the door for people who are no longer with us, unfortunately.”

Leavitt further explained that in addition to Medicaid and Medicare fraud, DOGE investigators—led by Elon Musk—are uncovering numerous other instances of misused funds.

“I would say that is certainly fraud. There is also a lot of contracts they’ve identified that, just as a hypothetical example, are a million bucks but only $500,000 went out the door, so where’s the rest of that cash?” Leavitt stated.

She emphasized that DOGE is actively working every day to track down these discrepancies and hold those responsible accountable.

Leavitt reminded reporters that President Trump campaigned on cutting government waste and is delivering on that promise.

“And so, that’s the thing — those are the things that DOGE is working on every single day, and I would just remind everybody in this room, this is what President Trump campaigned on doing. He’s delivering on a promise that 77 million people elected him to do.”

The government has sent 2.7 TRILLION dollars in Medicare and Medicaid money overseas to people who were NOT eligible to receive it.
Medicare isn’t going broke. The money was stolen. pic.twitter.com/JJYu0h6h6f

— The Sardonic Patriot (@Mayflower_21) February 13, 2025

The White House has not yet announced specific policy changes in response to DOGE’s findings but has vowed to continue rooting out fraud and reforming government spending practices.

With the investigation into improper payments ongoing, DOGE’s efforts are expected to shed light on further government waste, leading to potential legal action and financial recoveries in the months ahead.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.