recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mr Cassar. This subcommittee is supposedly about looking into waste fraud and abuse. So I'd like to start talking about independent inspector generals who are supposed to be looking into waste fraud and abuse.
Mr Talcove, do you know how many inspector generals at agencies that were investigating Elon Musk's companies have been fired by the Trump Musk administration. No. It is 5.
Ms. Royal. The Inspector General of the Department of Labor had 17 open investigations into Tesla and SpaceX.
Do you know what the Trump Muk administration did to that Inspector General. No. They, they fired him and I think y'all know, Mr Whitson, the inspector General of the Department of Transportation was investigating Tesla.
Do you know what the Trump Musk administration did to that Inspector General. No. They were fired.
The Department of Defense's Inspector general was looking into SpaceX. Mr Hedler, do you know what the Trump Musk administration did to that Inspector General. I believe he was fired.
Thank you. I think everybody on the panel knows what the answer to these questions were. The US Department of Agriculture Inspector general was investigating Musk's neurolink.
Mr Talcove, now I'll ask you again, under oath, do you know what Mr Trump did to that Inspector General that was looking into one of Musk's companies. No. He was fired.
The Inspector general at the EPA was repeatedly taking on Tesla. Mr Hadler, since it seems that you're answering the questions that everybody knows the answer to. Do you know what the Trump Musk administration did to that Inspector General.
I believe he was fired. Also fired at least 5 inspector generals that were looking into, Elon Musk's companies were fired by the Trump Musk administration. These Inspector generals who are independent, protected by law.
They are the people that find the waste fraud and abuse and found many of the cases of waste, fraud and abuse that have been brought up today, fired because they were looking into Elon Musk. At the NLRB. The National Labor Relations Board, which is supposed to protect workers from getting their unions busted by folks like Elon Musk made functionally broken by the so-called Department of government efficiency that really is the Department of Government efficiency for Elon Musk, not for you.
They are trying to shut down the Department of Education, the Department of Labor. You know what Elon Musk doesn't seem to be looking into his own contracts. Again, um, I'll ask you, Mr Talco.
You know how much money a day, Mr Musk will receive from the federal government for his contracts. No. The answer is $8 million a day.
Just last year, Elon Musk was promised $3 billion from close to 100 contracts with the federal government. Um. Ms.
Royal, do you know how much the average person in this country who survives on Social Security, one of our seniors who's worked their entire life about how much they have to survive on a day. $65 a day. We're not looking into Elon Musk's $8 million a day.
This subcommittee chaired by Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House Republicans is looking into your grandmother's $65 a day. Let me be clear. I think we would all support taxpayer savings.
Look into money we might needlessly send to billionaires and big corporations, fines taxpayer savings and send it back to your hardworking family. But instead, what House Republicans and the Trump Musk administration want to do is they want to look into your kid's lunch money. Your kids, teacher's salary into your grandparents' Social Security.
They want to take that money and give it out in billionaire tax cuts, and they're talking about that in committee tomorrow in budget committee tomorrow they just released their plan. So let me be clear, when Republicans talk about government efficiency in this Congress, they're not looking into billionaires who don't pay their taxes. They're not looking into billionaires who get rich off of government contracts.
They're not looking into Elon Musk firing watchdogs who are supposed to keep him accountable. They're looking at cutting your public schools. They're going straight for your Social Security.
They're coming straight for cancer research. They're coming straight for the Department of Education. They're not looking at big tech, they're not looking at big pharma because those people fund their campaigns.
If this commit We're serious about rooting out waste from our federal government, then today's whole hearing would be about how Musk and Donald Trump are firing the independent watchdogs who've done this work for decades. Instead, my Republican colleagues' actual goal on this committee is to distract from Trump and from Musk's corrupt war on accountability. This will not be a subcommittee dedicated to making government efficient for everyday people.
It's about helping Elon Musk and Donald Trump be as efficient as possible in robbing. Our government and handing out our government service services to a to the rich. So this seems that this subcommittee is just getting the time has expired.
A total sham. The American people are $36 trillion in debt. It certainly seems reasonable that someone has been fired.
I now recognize the gentleman from Tennessee further in debt with your billionaire you're not recognized, Mr Burchett, you're recognized for 5 minutes.
