Trump Expresses Pride in DOGE’s Performance
“We are going to examine vast sums of money … being allocated to initiatives that are utterly unrelated and devoid of any real value,” Trump stated.
On February 7, President Donald Trump defended the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) regarding its access to federal IT systems and confirmed his directive for staff to investigate the departments of Education and Defense.
Trump made these remarks during a press conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. When asked about allegations of DOGE staff accessing data that might contain personal information about Americans, Trump defended the actions of the advisory commission.
He pointed out the unchecked waste within the federal government, expressing pride in DOGE’s endeavors. He also assured, “Social Security will not be altered.”
“Concerning the investments made in another agency that has been discussed for years without any action taken, it is absolutely outrageous, hazardous, and extraordinarily expensive,” Trump remarked, without naming the federal agency.
He noted that DOGE would collaborate with both the Department of Education and the U.S. military.
“We are going to scrutinize significant amounts of money … being spent on initiatives that have no valid connection and provide no worth,” he added, claiming that the federal government is unlawfully squandering “trillions of dollars.”
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“I am very proud of the work this group of young professionals—mostly young but exceptionally intelligent individuals—are doing. Their efforts are under my guidance. It would certainly be simpler not to pursue this, but we need to dismantle certain systems to uncover the corruption,” Trump emphasized.
When inquired if he wanted DOGE to examine federal expenditure in welfare and entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security, Trump reiterated that Social Security would “not be affected.”
“We have illegal immigrants receiving Social Security, and we intend to identify and remove them,” Trump declared, additionally noting that his administration had discovered illegal immigrants benefiting from Medicare.
“We will not tolerate that. Hence, we are committed to fortifying Social Security,” the president asserted. “We will not alter it except to enhance its strength. However, there are individuals who do not belong on it, and those are the people we must eliminate.”
Trump’s statements arise as numerous Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns over possible infringements of congressional oversight, given that DOGE staffers have been allowed to investigate IT systems within federal agencies.
To date, The Epoch Times has confirmed that DOGE has accessed computer systems of the Treasury Department, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Energy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Reports from anonymous sources have alleged that DOGE accessed IT systems at various other federal agencies, but The Epoch Times has yet to independently verify these claims.
On February 5, House Oversight Committee Republicans blocked a move by Democrats to subpoena tech billionaire Elon Musk, who heads DOGE, and compel him to testify before Congress.
Numerous Democrats have criticized the Trump administration for granting excessive power to an unelected “special government employee,” particularly due to Musk’s business ventures like SpaceX being closely linked with several federal agencies, some of which have awarded significant contracts to his aerospace firm.
The White House recently announced that Musk would recuse himself from any matters where conflicts of interest might arise due to his business endeavors, which also encompass Tesla and the social media platform X.
