Members of Congress are scrambling like roaches in a room when the light is turned on. Elon Musk is exposing the wasteful spending, illegal spending, and the general lack of oversight when it comes to spending our money. While we have all known that this existed for decades, the politicians believe this time we are paying attention because of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. This time they believe we are actually going to demand something be done.

USAID has become the poster child of wasteful spending and graft. But the Department of Energy typifies the failure to follow the law when issuing payments. Former secretary of energy, Jennifer Granholm, oversaw an agency that failed to obtain required documentation for the multibillion dollar loan guarantee program created by the inflation reduction act which is more appropriately known as the green new energy act.

In order to qualify for a loan guarantee, a company building a solar energy farm had to provide engineering plans, feasibility plans, and stated goals for the production of energy. The NGO that processed applications and was supposed to gather the required documentation regularly failed to do so and recommended the loan guarantees be issued. The Department of Energy regularly did so. The inspector general pointed out for 2 1/2 years that many of the guarantees went to Granholm's political donors from her run for governor in Michigan. The director of the loan program also came from one of the largest hydrogen fuel cell producers in the country, so it's probably no surprise that loan guarantees were given to his former company as well.

In fiscal 2024 Congress authorized $591 billion in payments for programs and departments whose authorizations had expired prior to the start of fiscal 2024. 491 programs across 20 plus agencies, some of whom also had expired authorizations, received payments. In some cases, the programs had actually stopped and others were continued. There are a number of programs, about 1/3, whose authorizations expired over a decade ago and one whose authorization expired in 1980.

When these programs or departments were created, Congress believed the need was going to be short term, so a sunset clause was put in the law. Rather than reauthorize them they just continued giving them money. Is it any surprise that family members of Congress were often the beneficiaries of these payments or received positions in these departments?

Of course, the politicians are saying that this cost cutting, and identification of improper payments is creating a constitutional crisis. They are appealing to the emotions of people who hate Donald Trump or who may be benefiting at the government teat. They fully know that Donald Trump has not only a constitutional right to audit spending but he has a constitutional obligation to do so.

Article 2 Section 3 requires the president to use "Care" in ensuring that the laws are faithfully administered. Spending bills are laws. If requirements are not being met in order to receive government funds, then those payments are improper and should be stopped. If authorizations have expired, then it is not legal to spend that money in an ongoing fashion. That would also include the salaries of any department or agency that is not legally authorized to conduct business on behalf of the United States government. So Donald Trump through DOGE and Elon is only doing what he's constitutionally authorized and obligated to do.

For those of you that are mad about an unelected person having 'unprecedented' access and authority over the process you forgot to check your ignorance at the door. The law allows a president to hire special government employees to perform specific tasks. It's similar to a special prosecutor.

And let's remind you that within two hours of Jennifer Granholm being sworn in as the Department of Energy secretary, she was meeting with Bill Gates and finalizing a deal to spend $2 billion on the construction of a nuclear plant Bill Gates wanted to build in Wyoming. I'm not sure the two hours is long enough for anyone to review the required engineering and feasibility plans. Over the next two months Gates also finalized deals to administer $15 billion through one of his foundations to support sustainable energy projects, most of which were being built and operated by his companies.