Hallie Noecker and Max Voldman wrote an opinion piece for Newsweek maintaining that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, could have a bigger impact on efficiency if it prioritized using whistleblower information to combat fraud in massive industries like healthcare and defense.

The increasingly bold DOGE has been remaking the government at a breakneck pace, slashing jobs, programs, media subscriptions, and real estate leases. But the Elon Musk-led team is missing the easiest way to make a real impact on the government budget: rooting out, and deterring, fraud against the government, which costs taxpayers hundreds of billions annually.

Whistleblowers have historically been crucial for this effort, and it would be to everyone’s benefit for DOGE to refocus its “efficiency” efforts where they could better affect the bottom line. Whistleblowers with insider information about frauds in areas like healthcare and defense, where the government spends huge sums, can have a particularly outsized impact.

Private individuals can report fraudulent claims for payment to government programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Department of Defense by filing a False Claims Act case. If the government recovers money in such a case, eligible whistleblowers may be entitled to share in those funds.

If you have information about fraud in healthcare, defense, or other government contracting fraud, contact Whistleblower Partners for a free consultation.