Elon Musk said on Monday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is seeking the return of a $59 million payment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aimed to house migrants in New York City.
Musk shared via X his presidential advisory committee determined the payment went to “luxury hotels” that house those living in the country illegally. He demanded the payment, made last week, be returned.
“That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels,” Musk wrote. “A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds.”
Cameron Hamilton, acting FEMA administrator, responded by saying those responsible would be held accountable. “Effective yesterday these payments have all been suspended from FEMA,” Hamilton wrote via X.
“@USCongress should have never passed bills in 2023 and 2024 asking FEMA to do this work,” he added. “This stops now.”
The discovery comes as DOGE continues to find uses of taxpayer dollars by government agencies it deems objectionable. Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, recently reported the National Institutes of Health used more than $700,000 to learn if binge drinking on Super Bowl Sunday correlates with a baby boom in winning cities. That study did not find such a pattern.
“Washington has been fumbling tax dollars for far too long,” Ernst wrote via X. “This Super Bowl Sunday, it’s time to blitz the bureaucrats and sack the wasteful spending.”
President Donald Trump last week said DOGE would soon probe the Department of Defense. The agency has failed financial audits over the last several years.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has condemned DOGE as “not a real government agency,” adding it has “no authority to make spending decisions.”
“An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government,” Schumer said of DOGE via X last week.
Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., said last week she would abandon the House DOGE Caucus over frustrations with Musk.
Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com. Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.
