Trump observes ‘tremendous kickbacks’ in US government contracts
According to Donald Trump, the United States has suffered billions of dollars in losses attributed to government corruption and mismanagement. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
US President Donald Trump has raised concerns about what he has termed pervasive corruption within the American government, committing to address inefficient bureaucracy that leads to significant financial losses for taxpayers.
During a speech in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump was joined by Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, as they discussed strategies for reducing government expenditures.
Trump specifically highlighted problematic contracts between the government and private firms. He recounted an instance involving a consultant—whose identity he did not disclose—who was engaged for three months but continued to receive payments for two decades. “I see a lot of kickbacks. Tremendous kickbacks. Because nobody could be so stupid to give some of these contracts,” he stated.
He further emphasized the staggering financial impact of corruption, noting that billions of dollars are lost “in waste, fraud, and abuse.” “Nobody had any idea it was that bad, that sick, and that corrupt,” he remarked, reiterating his campaign pledge to combat corruption.
Musk echoed the president's sentiments, pointing out that “there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars.” He emphasized that the mission of the Trump administration and DOGE is “to restore democracy” and highlighted the urgent need for significant reforms. “We’ve got a $2 trillion [budget] deficit. And if we don’t do something about this deficit, the country’s going bankrupt,” Musk warned.
Trump also took issue with the US judiciary's efforts to halt DOGE from auditing government agencies, particularly concerning the Treasury Department's payment system. “If I need a vote of Congress to find fraud and abuse, it’s fine with me… How could a judge want to hold us back from finding all of this fraud and finding all of this incompetence?” he charged.
While Trump insists that the purpose of the audits is to eradicate corruption, critics have accused Musk and his agency of exceeding their mandates, aiming to dismantle essential government programs, and possibly exploiting sensitive data for political gain.
As part of its strategy to address inefficiency, the Trump administration has already taken steps to limit the operations of the US Agency for International Development, which is the main conduit for funding political projects internationally, by suspending most foreign aid. Trump has previously called for the agency's closure, asserting that it is run by “radical lunatics.”
Anna Muller for TROIB News
During a speech in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump was joined by Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, as they discussed strategies for reducing government expenditures.
Trump specifically highlighted problematic contracts between the government and private firms. He recounted an instance involving a consultant—whose identity he did not disclose—who was engaged for three months but continued to receive payments for two decades. “I see a lot of kickbacks. Tremendous kickbacks. Because nobody could be so stupid to give some of these contracts,” he stated.
He further emphasized the staggering financial impact of corruption, noting that billions of dollars are lost “in waste, fraud, and abuse.” “Nobody had any idea it was that bad, that sick, and that corrupt,” he remarked, reiterating his campaign pledge to combat corruption.
Musk echoed the president's sentiments, pointing out that “there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars.” He emphasized that the mission of the Trump administration and DOGE is “to restore democracy” and highlighted the urgent need for significant reforms. “We’ve got a $2 trillion [budget] deficit. And if we don’t do something about this deficit, the country’s going bankrupt,” Musk warned.
Trump also took issue with the US judiciary's efforts to halt DOGE from auditing government agencies, particularly concerning the Treasury Department's payment system. “If I need a vote of Congress to find fraud and abuse, it’s fine with me… How could a judge want to hold us back from finding all of this fraud and finding all of this incompetence?” he charged.
While Trump insists that the purpose of the audits is to eradicate corruption, critics have accused Musk and his agency of exceeding their mandates, aiming to dismantle essential government programs, and possibly exploiting sensitive data for political gain.
As part of its strategy to address inefficiency, the Trump administration has already taken steps to limit the operations of the US Agency for International Development, which is the main conduit for funding political projects internationally, by suspending most foreign aid. Trump has previously called for the agency's closure, asserting that it is run by “radical lunatics.”
Anna Muller for TROIB News
