Topic: Improper Payments

Donald Trump and Elon Musk have characterized the Social Security system as being rife with fraud and incompetence. Representative Al Green was removed from the joint session after shouting about Medicaid cuts. Analysis of the 118th Congress data suggests $750 billion in improper payments occurred between 2021 and 2023, leading to proposals for stricter state audits and work requirements for able-bodied adults.

Comptroller General Gene Dodaro testifies that the federal government made over $144 billion in "improper payments" in 2016 alone, with a cumulative total of $1.2 trillion since 2003. The majority of these errors occur in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. The hosts express outrage at the scale of the waste and the government's inability to audit the Pentagon or track these funds properly.