Friend, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on us all. 

Donald Trump promised that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency – or better known as DOGE – would root out waste and save money for essential services like healthcare, food assistance, and disaster relief. But that was an outright lie. And we have the proof.

My investigation as Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has uncovered a staggering $21.7 billion in taxpayer dollars wasted by DOGE – all under the leadership of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

That's your money, friend. And it was recklessly squandered in more ways than one:

* $14.8 billion for paying approximately 200,000 employees not to work for up to eight months.

* $263 million in lost interest and fee income at the Department of Energy due to dozens of loan freezes meant to finance key utility projects supporting energy affordability and grid resilience.

* $110 million on food aid and medical supplies left to rot wastefully in warehouses, set to be destroyed at a further cost to taxpayers.

* Even $66 million by underutilizing thousands of professional staff to perform entry-level duties for weeks on end, including over $138,000 for paying scientists to check guests in at national parks.

And this doesn't even scratch the surface of all the waste that has taken place under Donald Trump and DOGE's watch. These numbers are a searing indictment of DOGE’s false claims – and at the very same time that the Trump administration is touting big savings, the $21.7 billion that they wasted could have actually gone to helping American citizens:

* 5.3 million families losing an average of $146 in monthly food assistance under Republicans’ budget bill could have found relief.

* 5 million Americans expected to lose Medicaid coverage in 2026 under Republicans’ budget bill could have kept their coverage.

* And an additional 28.6 million children – over 98% of all K-12 students – could have access to reliable meals with free and reduced school lunches. 

This just goes to show that DOGE was never about helping taxpayers. It was about consolidating power and rewarding cronies.

I'm demanding accountability – because the American people deserve better. And I hope you'll join me in speaking out alongside 10,000 others before midnight tonight. Add your name to my petition now to demand Congress recover these wasted funds and put an end to the Republican scheme to siphon away your hard-earned money.

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Thank you for standing with me in this fight.

Dick



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