Trump Says He Expects Musk to Uncover Billions in Pentagon Waste

US President Donald Trump has said he expects Elon Musk to identify hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud and waste at the Pentagon as part of an audit the billionaire will lead.

“I’m going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours, to go check the Department of Education… Then I’m going to go to the military. Let’s check the military,” Trump said in a Super Bowl interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, an excerpt of which aired on Sunday morning.

“We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse,” he said, referring to the Pentagon, the largest US federal department.

The Pentagon’s budget is nearing $1 trillion annually. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed a bill authorising $895 billion in defence spending for the fiscal year ending 30 September.

Musk, who the White House has designated as a special government employee, has been tasked by Trump with leading efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce. As part of this initiative, Musk’s aides have reportedly sought access to confidential information within government computer systems.

Critics argue the effort may be illegal, could expose classified information, and is effectively dismantling government agencies without congressional approval.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, speaking separately on Sunday, highlighted the Pentagon’s shipbuilding process as a key area of concern for the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk oversees.

“Everything there seems to cost too much, take too long, and deliver too little to the soldiers… We do need business leaders to go in there and absolutely reform the Pentagon’s acquisition process,” Waltz said on NBC’s Meet the Press.

“There is plenty to look into in shipbuilding, which is an absolute mess,” he added.

Waste and inefficiency at the Pentagon have been widely criticised across the political spectrum. However, Democrats and civil service unions argue that Musk’s department lacks the expertise needed to restructure the military, warning that its efforts could compromise classified programmes.

Concerns have also been raised over potential conflicts of interest, as Musk’s companies hold major contracts with the Pentagon.

Faridah Abdulkadiri

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