Trump Tasks Elon Musk with Pentagon Audit, Predicts Massive Fraud Discovery

Washington, D.C. : U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Elon Musk will lead an audit of the Pentagon, expressing confidence that the billionaire entrepreneur will uncover "hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud and abuse."

In an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier during the Super Bowl, an excerpt of which aired on Sunday, Trump revealed his plan to direct Musk to scrutinize government departments, starting with the Department of Education and then moving on to the U.S. military.

“I'm going to tell him very soon—maybe in 24 hours—to check the Department of Education. Then I’m going to say, go check the military,” Trump stated. "We're going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud and abuse."

Pentagon Audit Raises Concerns Over Conflicts of Interest

The Pentagon's annual budget nears $1 trillion, with $895 billion in defense spending authorized for the current fiscal year under legislation signed by then-President Joe Biden in December. Given this immense budget, concerns over waste and inefficiency within the Department of Defense have been a bipartisan issue for years.

Musk, who the White House has designated a special government employee, has been tasked by Trump with leading efforts to significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce. As part of this initiative, Musk's aides have reportedly sought access to confidential government data across multiple federal agencies.

Critics argue that these efforts may be illegal, potentially exposing classified information and bypassing congressional oversight in what they describe as a de facto dismantling of government agencies. Furthermore, Musk's deep business ties to the Pentagon—including major contracts held by SpaceX and Tesla—have raised significant conflict-of-interest concerns.

National Security Officials Call for Pentagon Reform

Commenting on the initiative, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz pointed to shipbuilding inefficiencies as a primary area for investigation.

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

Waltz emphasized that shipbuilding in particular has been plagued by inefficiencies, calling it “an absolute mess.”

Democratic Lawmakers and Unions Push Back

While criticism of Pentagon inefficiencies is widespread across the political spectrum, Democratic lawmakers and civil service unions have voiced strong opposition to Musk’s involvement, citing his lack of experience in government restructuring and national security risks.

They warn that granting Musk and his associates access to sensitive military programs could compromise national security and allow private business interests to influence military procurement decisions.

The development comes as Trump continues to advocate for a major downsizing of the federal government, a key aspect of his political platform. However, whether Musk's involvement will lead to substantive reforms or intensify concerns over governance and security remains to be seen.