Elon Musk is pissed at the misuse of taxpayers money, and this time, it’s the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) feeling the heat. His Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) just caught FEMA red-handed, wiring $59 million last week to luxury hotels in New York City.
These rooms weren’t for natural disaster victims. They were booked for illegal migrants, according to Elon, who added that it broke the law and directly violated Trump’s executive order on disaster relief funding. Elon wasted no time announcing that a clawback demand had already been issued to recover every dollar.
“The D.O.G.E team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants,” Elon wrote on X, calling it “gross insubordination.” He accused FEMA of misusing funds meant for struggling Americans. FEMA has yet to respond publicly.
Elon wants to fix agencies, but bureaucrats are blocking it
Elon claims federal agencies are drowning in inefficiency because good employees are being shut down by toxic higher-ups. The Tesla boss said many talented workers inside government departments know exactly how to cut waste and fix broken systems. But they’re being blocked by old management who don’t want their “systems of excess” dismantled.
“Very true!” Elon replied when someone on X described the issue. “Many times, the D.O.G.E team has found excellent people at the working level in government who want to do the right thing, but have been prevented from doing so by prior management.” Elon called the Treasury Department a prime example. He said giving these employees the green light could “massively” reduce fraud and waste.
One whistleblower claimed that employees face career-ending threats if they try to implement cost-saving measures. “There are great people in their department who know exactly how to make their department more efficient. They’ve wanted to, and they’ve been prevented with implicit or explicit career threats,” Elon confirmed. To fix this, he suggested rewarding workers who save taxpayers’ money, something he thinks should’ve been policy a long time ago.
D.O.G.E hit another roadblock when a federal judge blocked its access to Treasury payment systems on Friday. The order came after 19 Democratic state attorneys general filed lawsuits last Friday to stop Elon and his team from accessing sensitive financial data.
The lawsuits say that Elon, who isn’t a civil servant, shouldn’t be poking around in systems that handle trillions of dollars in government payouts. Vice President JD Vance fired back, saying, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”
The Justice Department filed an emergency motion Sunday night to lift the judge’s ruling. They warned that the decision could even block Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and senior department officials from accessing crucial payment systems, all because they’re political appointees and not career bureaucrats.
