Officials from the Trump administration have vowed to recover tax funds misappropriated by blue states after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovered that these states had received nearly $400 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits. Representatives from the Department of Labor (DOL) and the White House issued strong statements, placing the three Democratic-controlled states on alert.
For context, DOGE was created under one of Trump’s initial executive orders and is tasked with combating fraud, waste, and corruption within the federal government. Within a few months, the agency, led by tech innovator Elon Musk, has revealed extensive fraud networks and saved taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
In any event, Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer highlighted the extent of the corruption during a cabinet meeting on April 14, 2025. She stated, “This is yet another remarkable finding by the DOGE team, uncovering nearly $400 million in fraudulent unemployment payments. The Labor Department is dedicated to reclaiming Americans’ misappropriated tax dollars. We will apprehend these criminals and continue our efforts to eliminate severe fraud.”
Delving into the particulars, Lori Chavez-DeRemer elaborated on the intricacies of this fraud. She stated, “According to the figures we reviewed last night, once again revealed by our partners at DOGE within the Department of Labor, since 2020, over $400 million in payments have already been disbursed,” further noting, “And when you consider these figures, it appears that in the United States, we have nearly 25,000 individuals who are over 115 years old, collectively receiving $59 million that we have distributed to individuals, highlighting the issue of fraudulent activities.”]
To illustrate her point, the Labor Department Secretary remarked, “In one instance, they will be born 129 years from now, yet the United States government has already sent them $41,000, despite the fact that they are not yet born. Therefore, under the Department of Labor, these are the revelations we are making. I could not be more privileged to inform the American public that we are reclaiming their funds and ensuring their return to the United States Treasury.”
Providing an additional viewpoint on the controversy, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields criticized these heavily Democratic states. He remarked, “There is a reason for the significant migration from Democrat-led states that have poorly managed their economies, pushing residents towards the nearest Republican-led state,” adding, “Excessive taxes, inadequate management of taxpayer funds, and progressive policies continue to produce adverse outcomes, which is why Americans largely endorse the efforts of DOGE.”
Initiating the debate, DOGE revealed their findings on X, previously known as Twitter. The department stated, “An initial examination of Unemployment Insurance claims since 2020 has uncovered the following: – 24.5k individuals over 115 years of age claimed $59M in benefits – 28k individuals aged between 1 and 5 years claimed $254M in benefits – 9.7k individuals with birth dates set more than 15 years into the future claimed $69M in benefits. In one instance, an individual with a birth date in 2154 claimed $41k.”
You can watch Lori Chavez-DeRemer here:
Elon Musk, expressing his outrage and revulsion towards the fraudsters accountable for this corruption, quote-tweeted the post, stating, “Your tax dollars were being used to fund fraudulent unemployment claims for fictitious individuals born in the future! This is so absurd that I had to read it multiple times before it truly registered.”
