An investigation has uncovered widespread fraud in the government’s COVID relief programs, with billions of dollars wasted on ineligible applicants. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has identified 5,593 pandemic-era loans totaling $312 million that were issued to borrowers under 12 years old.
The loans, distributed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in 2020 and 2021, were flagged due to mismatched Social Security numbers. While some minors could technically be part of legitimate business arrangements, DOGE determined that it was highly improbable in nearly all of these cases.
The fraudulent approvals were not limited to children. DOGE also found that 3,095 loans, totaling $333 million, were granted to applicants listed as over 115 years old. In one case, a person recorded as 157 years old received a $36,000 loan. The recipients remained active in government databases, raising further concerns about systemic failures in federal oversight.
President Donald Trump, in an address to Congress, pointed out that government records contain millions of individuals listed as over 120 years old. He criticized the inefficiencies that allowed such glaring errors to persist, vowing to root out the waste that had flourished under previous leadership.
Elon Musk, overseeing DOGE’s fraud investigation, recently met with House Republicans to discuss uncovering up to $1 trillion in wasted government funds. Lawmakers involved in the discussions noted that the agency was prepared to make bold moves to eliminate corruption and inefficiency.
One of DOGE’s first cost-cutting measures was canceling a $10.3 million Department of Agriculture contract that had ironically been issued to identify unnecessary government contracts. The agency is also reviewing hundreds of additional expenditures that could lead to further terminations.
