Waste, fraud and abuse: Defining terms

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Practically everyone probably agrees that “waste, fraud and abuse” should be rooted out of government. Perhaps most believe taxes are too high. Most of those paying attention to levels of taxing and spending probably worry about the federal deficit and fiscal threats to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Frustration is high from years of inflation, a broken immigration system, homelessness, fear of crime, difficulty in coping with what science has learned about gender and sexuality and, in Minnesota, state agency incompetence that contributed to a huge fraud in a federally funded food program.

Under these circumstances, no wonder many Americans favor reducing the size and cost of government. Equally unsurprising is the popularity of President Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s trumpeting of an attack on “waste, fraud and abuse.”

Seeking clarity on those terms, I consulted my Second College Edition of the American Heritage Dictionary. Here are pertinent meanings of these words. Waste: “To use, consume, or expend thoughtlessly or carelessly; squander.” Fraud: “A deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain.” Abuse: “Improper use or handling; misuse; a corrupt practice or custom; physical maltreatment; insulting or coarse language.” The meanings of these words help evaluate recent actions.

Rooting out waste caused by unwise spending is a legitimate goal. Questionable labeling of programs with which they disagree as waste is the least of the problems with the Trump/Musk actions.

Fraud? The federal government spends trillions of dollars annually. Almost all fraud involving that spending occurs by private-sector actors illegitimately grabbing funds through deception, not government employees deliberately and unjustly enriching themselves or others. And I have yet to see any evidence of fraud uncovered by DOGE, notwithstanding its elimination of thousands of federal jobs. The Trump administration seems to be reducing the government’s ability to combat fraud by firing inspectors general and appointing agency leaders lacking in expertise for overseeing multibillion-dollar operations. The more fraud, the more tax dollars will be wasted. The Trump/Musk approach appears certain to increase fraud and hence waste.

Abuse? What abuse? The only “abuse” I have seen mentioned is some small USAID humanitarian aid programs alleged to be bad policy. Dumb programs could easily be rooted out by a program review, followed by executive action for any not authorized by Congress or a request that Congress terminate any it had authorized. The significant abuse is that being inflicted by Trump and Musk on others.

Cutting grant funding in midstream abuses all those who have incurred expenses in reliance on grants they have been awarded and suddenly are not getting. This includes farmers, scientific researchers and the institutions where they work, and the nonprofits and their employees engaged in helping the disadvantaged. The gutting of USAID and the cutting of grants to nonprofits that help the disadvantaged inevitably cut off desperately needed help for people in need. Across-the-board mass firing of federal employees, purportedly due to poor performance, where the firing is done with no idea how the employees have performed, exhibits insulting language, a corrupt practice that gratuitously harms people without rational basis, and misuse of the employer’s authority over the employee. The same is true of demands that every employee submit exactly what they accomplished in the past week or be fired if they do not.

This is a collaboration between two talented egomaniacs in love with performing in the limelight, but devoid of empathy and perspective on the consequences of their actions. Musk certainly is qualified to lead an effort to modernize governmental systems. If the federal government should do less, the rational route is to ask Congress to end programs it established.

The approach being taken is stupid, except (arguably) politically. It will increase fraud, which increases waste, and it abuses everyone who depends on reasonably expected government funding. This includes thousands of organizations and individuals who use the funds in their work, thousands of government employees and potentially millions of Americans who benefit from such funding. And it threatens millions of people abroad for whom U.S. humanitarian assistance can mean the difference between life and death.

Multiple Trump/Musk/DOGE actions are arbitrary and capricious, and an abuse of discretion. Congress and the courts should halt this looming catastrophe in its tracks.

John James is a lawyer and a former Minnesota commissioner of revenue.