Rep. Seth Grove: Government waste is no accident
Government efficiency, across all levels, is more than a slogan to me. Being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars is one of the most important responsibilities entrusted to elected officials.
For far too long, corrupt politicians and unelected bureaucrats from both sides of the aisle have been abusing those they are supposed to serve for their own gain. I am very pleased to see President Donald Trump mirror my concerns and efforts to curb reckless spending at the federal level. While previous administrations wanted to hire more federal agents to investigate everyday Americans, this president has shown a commitment to finally hold the U.S. government accountable to the people it serves.
Malicious acts aside, the amount of money the federal government wastes in improper payments is astounding. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the federal government spent $2.7 trillion in improper payments since 2003. This means, on a yearly average, the United States government loses approximately three-times Pennsylvania’s yearly budget in payments which should have not been made. It is not at all surprising early Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, reports claim U.S. Treasury approval officers were instructed to always approve payments, even to known fraudulent and terrorist groups.
The outrage from the media-machine (many of whom are funneled taxpayer dollars) and others is very telling. Their fearmongering and labeling of this president a “fascist” for stripping power away from his own branch of government – of which he is well within his constitutional powers to do – is one of the most ironic moments in modern American history. I also find the xenophobic attacks on Elon Musk and the ageist attacks on young DOGE employees to be quite concerning. These panicked, last-ditch attempts by these abusers to claim a shred of credibility with the American people only further shows their culpability. To them, I repeat the same logical fallacy they told Americans as they stripped away our privacy over 20 years ago: if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.
During my time as a state representative, I have been a staunch advocate for government efficiency and accountability. I have introduced numerous bills to optimize government operations, cut government waste, put a stop to improper payments and hold those who defraud taxpayers accountable. My record speaks for itself – I have been beating this drum as loud as I can from the beginning. This conviction runs so deep in me that for the past five years I have signed off all my emails with this quote from President Thomas Jefferson:
We might hope to see the finances of the Union as clear and intelligible as a merchant’s books, so that every member of Congress and every man of any mind in the Union should be able to comprehend them, to investigate abuses, and consequently to control them.
In 2019, then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro claimed Pennsylvania was losing about $3 billion in Medicaid fraud alone. This was just under ten percent of the state’s budget at the time. Since then, I have introduced and co-sponsored bipartisan legislation every session requiring state agencies to analyze their susceptibility to improper payments and create a state-level “Do Not Pay” initiative to stop improper payments before they are made. At the time, Attorney General Shapiro was in full support of these bills. However, as titles and allegiances have changed, it is questionable if this is still the case.
Now government efficiency is finally cool and trendy, it is my hope Gov. Shapiro, House Democrats and Senate Republicans can come together to fix the waste, fraud and abuse in the Commonwealth before it is too late. I genuinely believe Pennsylvania needs a DOGE-level shakeup, but it must be coordinated with the executive branch. Taxpayers have been held under the oppressive thumb of bloated bureaucracy and corruption for far too long and we have had enough.
State Rep. Seth Grove is a Republican from Dover Township, representing the 196th Legislative District. He is the Republican chairman of the House Labor and Industry Committee and has a master’s degree in public financial management from the University of Kentucky.
Seth has gone full MAGA. You seemed like a decent guy in the past. I guess you drank the Kool-aid. Sad.
What about what he said do you find indecent or 9ffensive?
“For far too long, corrupt politicians and unelected bureaucrats from both sides of the aisle have been abusing those they are supposed to serve for their own gain.” – Do you include President Musk in this category?
Judah – the outrage of a person directed by the President to do a job baffles me. Can you please explain why you are so offended?
I am expecting you to give me the normal talking point of “he has access to sensitive information” or “and unelected man is making decisions that we didnt vote on”. But we did. And Trump was clear about his plans to allow Elon to review and audit and make suggestions for improving government. And he does have access to information. Just like most government employees do.
So please skip those answers and provide one that makes sense.
The answer you are getting are the answers you don’t want to acknowledge.
– Federal agencies are approved by and answer to Congress. DOGE does neither.
– Musk and his employees have not been through an FBI background check that is required for government employees to have access to sensitive/highly classified information that Musk and his team does.
– DOGE’s top employees include; an 18 year old high school dropout, a 19 year old with a GED, and a 25 year old who wants to normalize hate against Indians, from India. None of whom have the maturity or experience needed to have access to classified information.
– Musk is doing far more than reviewing and auditing these agencies. He is firing employees defunding, and shuttering government agencies. Only Congress can can shut down a Federal agency.
– Musk was not elected to run DOGE nor did he undergo Congressional review before being appointed to create DOGE. Unlike Trump’s other appointees.
Judah – so the DEPARTMENT of Government Efficiency is tasked with auditing AGENCIES and finding fraud or questionable expenses.
Are all auditors and internal reviews done internally by the executive branch now subject to review by Congress? Does this mean the Executive Branch cannot review itself? Is there job only to spend the money Congress allots and they cannot review Agencies within their purview?
Do you see how silly that sounds?
I would understand if this DOGE Dept had a team of 100 + people and a significant budget allotment that exceeded a reasonable sum that Congress would want to review. Or even if Congress was calling for oversight, but this is clearly a partisan outrage.
There are many 17, 18, 19, and 20 yr old’s serving in the U.S. military and other positions within various U.S. agencies. We rely on them, and trust them with very sensitive information. Though many (not all) were LATER formalized by Congress, here is a list of 21 U.S. government agencies created by executive order, along with the President who established them:
1. National Security Agency (NSA) – Truman
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – Carter
3. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Nixon
4. Peace Corps – JFK
5. Office of Homeland Security – George W. Bush
6. United States Agency for International Development (USA ID) – JFK
7. Central Intelligence Group (CIG) – Truman
8. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) – Roosevelt (FDR)
10. Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) – Johnson
11. Office of War Mobilization (OWM) – Roosevelt (FDR)
12. Bureau of the Budget (later OMB) – Roosevelt (FDR)
13. War Refugee Board (WRB) – Roosevelt (FDR)
14. Office of Administration (OA) – Carter
15. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) – Reagan
16. Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) – Nixon
17. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) – JFK
18. President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) – Eisenhower
19. Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) – Truman
20. National Industrial Recovery Board (NIRB) – Roosevelt (FDR)
21. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) – Carter
Some, like the NSA and FEMA, remain executive-controlled, while others like the EPA and USA ID rely on congressional funding and oversight. I absolutely LOVE the meltdown going on with the far-Left progressives as sunshine pours all over their programs.
Getting back to the article, as noted In 2019, then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro claimed Pennsylvania was losing about $3 billion in Medicaid fraud alone. Nothing has changed since then except for Josh Shapiro becoming governor. What initiative has his administration undertaken to address the $3 billion in Medicare fraud at the state level in the two years since he gained office? The answer to this would be what all of the voters in PA should be seeking. Was he only grandstanding when he was Attorney General, or did he mean it? If he did why hasn’t he done anything about it?
“It is not at all surprising early Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, reports claim U.S. Treasury approval officers were instructed to always approve payments, even to known fraudulent and terrorist groups. ” – By all means lets get back to the intent of the article. What facts is this statement based on?
“Malicious acts aside, the amount of money the federal government wastes in improper payments is astounding.” – And if you want to deal with this you are going to have “to hire more federal agents to investigate everyday Americans” who commit these acts.
“I also find the xenophobic attacks on Elon Musk and the ageist attacks on young DOGE employees to be quite concerning.” – The same Elon Musk who gave two Hitler salutes at a rally and gave a video address to a German neo-Nazi political party rally. If Musk is hiring based on merit please explain to me how his top employees are a 18 year old high school drop out, a 19 year old with a GED, and a 25 year old who wants to normalize hate against people from India.
“To them, I repeat the same logical fallacy they told Americans as they stripped away our privacy over 20 years ago:” – What rights have you lost in the last 20 years?
“Now government efficiency is finally cool and trendy,” – So was the Pinto. Just because something is trendy does not mean it has been thought through.
Americans might actually buy this nonsense if the cuts were really aimed at cutting spending and not driven 100% by the richest oligarch in the world and his buddies’ corrupt business dealings. I’m sure I’ll be labeled “woke” or something for saying this because that’s how they divide us. But everyone knows that if any Republican dares to grow a spine and speak up they’ll have to run against a candidate in their next primary who’s backed by the owners of every major social network (except bluesky lol) including a literal trillionaire. (Musk is expected to actually be worth that by 2026). Not to mention the credible death threats issued every day from people who are practically guaranteed a presidential pardon for anything they do to advance the president’s agenda. SO. HOW MUCH did spacex, tesla, and starlink make in government contracts again? No worries, First Lady Trump has assured us that President Musk can “police his own conflicts of interests.” And also I have a bridge to sell.