
? 埃隆·馬斯克和政府效率部的天才團隊表示,,美國財政部每周向欺詐賬戶支付約10億美元。美國總統(tǒng)特朗普對記者表示,,這可能有助于削減美國數(shù)萬億美元國家債務(wù)問題,,盡管馬斯克所發(fā)現(xiàn)的數(shù)字,,對國家債務(wù)的利息而言也只是杯水車薪。
唐納德·特朗普總統(tǒng)認為,,由于欺詐行為的存在,,美國36.2萬億美元的國債及相應(yīng)利息支出的規(guī)模,可能遠低于官方的估算,。
本周末,,這位三軍統(tǒng)帥在“空軍一號”上向記者透露,埃隆·馬斯克領(lǐng)導的政府效率部(DOGE)將對“國債”展開調(diào)查,。國債簡稱“T-bills”,,是公眾和投資機構(gòu)均可購買的政府債券市場的簡稱。
在前往“超級碗”的專機上,,特朗普解釋道:“整個國家體系似乎都充斥著欺詐行為,,充斥著詐騙、浪費和濫用職權(quán),。馬斯克和他的天才團隊在美國國際開發(fā)署(USAID)的發(fā)現(xiàn)令人震驚,,這還只是冰山一角?!?/p>
“接下來我們將調(diào)查教育部,,你們會發(fā)現(xiàn)更嚴重的同類問題。隨后是對軍方展開調(diào)查,,屆時將曝光大量腐敗現(xiàn)象,。這些問題的根源在于政府機構(gòu)多年來處于失能狀態(tài)?!?/p>
他補充道:“我們甚至開始核查國債本身,。國債可能存在……問題。這將是個極具研究價值的發(fā)現(xiàn),,因為部分債務(wù)可能屬于無效賬目。換句話說,,我們發(fā)現(xiàn)的一些問題存在非常嚴重的欺詐,。因此這意味著實際債務(wù)規(guī)模可能低于現(xiàn)有統(tǒng)計數(shù)字,?!?/p>
特朗普未明確說明其言論針對的是國債證券還是財政部直接支付項目。
然而,,當政府效率部負責人馬斯克在其擁有的X社交平臺上分析欺詐運作機制時,,他特別提到了財政部支付的資金。
馬斯克上周六發(fā)文披露:“昨天,,據(jù)可靠消息,,財政部每年向無社保號(甚至臨時身份證號)人員發(fā)放的福利金超過1,000億美元,。”
“若該數(shù)據(jù)屬實,,情況將極其可疑,。當我詢問在場財政部官員對此類支付中確鑿欺詐金額的估算時,所有人一致認為至少占半數(shù)——即每年500億美元,,相當于每周10億美元,!”
“必須立即整頓這種亂象?!?/p>
需要說明的是,,特斯拉(Tesla)老板馬斯克所指的是醫(yī)療保險、社會保障等福利性支出,,而非低風險的政府債券業(yè)務(wù),。
在做出此番表態(tài)前,馬斯克已協(xié)同財政部推行系列改革措施,。
這些措施包括建立支付分類編碼系統(tǒng)提升審計效率,;創(chuàng)建包含欺詐主體及已故人員的禁付名單;增設(shè)支付事由說明欄以確保支出合理性,。
財政部的欺詐行為是新鮮事嗎,?
個人針對財政部的欺詐行為并非新鮮事,拜登政府期間就已持續(xù)開展整治工作,。
例如2024年財政部宣布,,通過部署人工智能加速識別流程,成功追回40億美元欺詐性支付,。
此類欺詐通常源于信息滯后——以死亡人員賬戶為例,,由于政府未及時獲取公民身故信息,導致財政補貼繼續(xù)發(fā)放,。
今年1月,,財政部測試使用社會保障局完整死亡檔案數(shù)據(jù)庫的試點項目,五個月內(nèi)成功攔截并追回超過3,100萬美元的不當支付,。
前財政助理部長戴維·萊布里克表示,,財政部有能力精準發(fā)現(xiàn)無需繼續(xù)支付的賬戶,他稱這些追回款項只是“冰山一角”,。
不過該數(shù)字與馬斯克指控的500億美元年度欺詐規(guī)模仍存在顯著差距,。
國債隱憂
從摩根大通(JPMorgan Chase)首席執(zhí)行官杰米·戴蒙到美聯(lián)儲(Fed)主席杰羅姆·鮑威爾,任何關(guān)注美國財政健康的人士都會因為國債方面的潛在好消息而長舒一口氣,。
這些經(jīng)濟權(quán)威人士與其他市場觀察家和專家,,越來越擔憂美國日益增長的財政赤字,特別是隨之而來的利息支出。
最令專家警覺的是債務(wù)與GDP比率,,簡單來說,,就是美國的債務(wù)與經(jīng)濟增長的比率,這代表了美國的償債能力,。
國會預(yù)算辦公室(Congressional Budget Office,,CBO)預(yù)測,到2034年國債將激增至50.7萬億美元,,相當于GDP的122.4%,,
屆時,年度利息支出預(yù)計將達到1.7萬億美元,。
專家警告,,若美國經(jīng)濟發(fā)展不足以承擔債務(wù)壓力,債權(quán)人可能停止購債,、要求提高利率或提前收貸——戴蒙將這種風險稱為市場“叛亂”,。
政策制定者有兩種方案,使債務(wù)與GDP實現(xiàn)平衡,。
首選的方案是通過積極政策刺激經(jīng)濟增長,;其次是削減債務(wù),但專家擔憂后者將導致公共服務(wù)和支持縮水,。
馬斯克揭露的欺詐問題恰巧提供了雙贏的“第三條道路”——在不削減公共服務(wù)前提下減少預(yù)期支出,。
然而,盡管每年500億美元的追繳額度驚人,,但相較美國2023年凈利息支出(最新可用數(shù)據(jù))6,580億美元,,該數(shù)額仍是杯水車薪。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
? 埃隆·馬斯克和政府效率部的天才團隊表示,,美國財政部每周向欺詐賬戶支付約10億美元,。美國總統(tǒng)特朗普對記者表示,這可能有助于削減美國數(shù)萬億美元國家債務(wù)問題,,盡管馬斯克所發(fā)現(xiàn)的數(shù)字,,對國家債務(wù)的利息而言也只是杯水車薪。
唐納德·特朗普總統(tǒng)認為,,由于欺詐行為的存在,,美國36.2萬億美元的國債及相應(yīng)利息支出的規(guī)模,可能遠低于官方的估算,。
本周末,這位三軍統(tǒng)帥在“空軍一號”上向記者透露,,埃隆·馬斯克領(lǐng)導的政府效率部(DOGE)將對“國債”展開調(diào)查,。國債簡稱“T-bills”,是公眾和投資機構(gòu)均可購買的政府債券市場的簡稱。
在前往“超級碗”的專機上,,特朗普解釋道:“整個國家體系似乎都充斥著欺詐行為,,充斥著詐騙、浪費和濫用職權(quán),。馬斯克和他的天才團隊在美國國際開發(fā)署(USAID)的發(fā)現(xiàn)令人震驚,,這還只是冰山一角?!?/p>
“接下來我們將調(diào)查教育部,,你們會發(fā)現(xiàn)更嚴重的同類問題。隨后是對軍方展開調(diào)查,,屆時將曝光大量腐敗現(xiàn)象,。這些問題的根源在于政府機構(gòu)多年來處于失能狀態(tài)?!?/p>
他補充道:“我們甚至開始核查國債本身,。國債可能存在……問題。這將是個極具研究價值的發(fā)現(xiàn),,因為部分債務(wù)可能屬于無效賬目,。換句話說,我們發(fā)現(xiàn)的一些問題存在非常嚴重的欺詐,。因此這意味著實際債務(wù)規(guī)??赡艿陀诂F(xiàn)有統(tǒng)計數(shù)字?!?/p>
特朗普未明確說明其言論針對的是國債證券還是財政部直接支付項目,。
然而,當政府效率部負責人馬斯克在其擁有的X社交平臺上分析欺詐運作機制時,,他特別提到了財政部支付的資金,。
馬斯克上周六發(fā)文披露:“昨天,據(jù)可靠消息,,財政部每年向無社保號(甚至臨時身份證號)人員發(fā)放的福利金超過1,000億美元,。”
“若該數(shù)據(jù)屬實,,情況將極其可疑,。當我詢問在場財政部官員對此類支付中確鑿欺詐金額的估算時,所有人一致認為至少占半數(shù)——即每年500億美元,,相當于每周10億美元,!”
“必須立即整頓這種亂象?!?/p>
需要說明的是,,特斯拉(Tesla)老板馬斯克所指的是醫(yī)療保險、社會保障等福利性支出,而非低風險的政府債券業(yè)務(wù),。
在做出此番表態(tài)前,,馬斯克已協(xié)同財政部推行系列改革措施。
這些措施包括建立支付分類編碼系統(tǒng)提升審計效率,;創(chuàng)建包含欺詐主體及已故人員的禁付名單,;增設(shè)支付事由說明欄以確保支出合理性。
財政部的欺詐行為是新鮮事嗎,?
個人針對財政部的欺詐行為并非新鮮事,,拜登政府期間就已持續(xù)開展整治工作。
例如2024年財政部宣布,,通過部署人工智能加速識別流程,,成功追回40億美元欺詐性支付。
此類欺詐通常源于信息滯后——以死亡人員賬戶為例,,由于政府未及時獲取公民身故信息,,導致財政補貼繼續(xù)發(fā)放。
今年1月,,財政部測試使用社會保障局完整死亡檔案數(shù)據(jù)庫的試點項目,,五個月內(nèi)成功攔截并追回超過3,100萬美元的不當支付。
前財政助理部長戴維·萊布里克表示,,財政部有能力精準發(fā)現(xiàn)無需繼續(xù)支付的賬戶,,他稱這些追回款項只是“冰山一角”。
不過該數(shù)字與馬斯克指控的500億美元年度欺詐規(guī)模仍存在顯著差距,。
國債隱憂
從摩根大通(JPMorgan Chase)首席執(zhí)行官杰米·戴蒙到美聯(lián)儲(Fed)主席杰羅姆·鮑威爾,,任何關(guān)注美國財政健康的人士都會因為國債方面的潛在好消息而長舒一口氣。
這些經(jīng)濟權(quán)威人士與其他市場觀察家和專家,,越來越擔憂美國日益增長的財政赤字,,特別是隨之而來的利息支出。
最令專家警覺的是債務(wù)與GDP比率,,簡單來說,,就是美國的債務(wù)與經(jīng)濟增長的比率,這代表了美國的償債能力,。
國會預(yù)算辦公室(Congressional Budget Office,,CBO)預(yù)測,到2034年國債將激增至50.7萬億美元,,相當于GDP的122.4%,,
屆時,年度利息支出預(yù)計將達到1.7萬億美元,。
專家警告,,若美國經(jīng)濟發(fā)展不足以承擔債務(wù)壓力,,債權(quán)人可能停止購債,、要求提高利率或提前收貸——戴蒙將這種風險稱為市場“叛亂”,。
政策制定者有兩種方案,使債務(wù)與GDP實現(xiàn)平衡,。
首選的方案是通過積極政策刺激經(jīng)濟增長,;其次是削減債務(wù),但專家擔憂后者將導致公共服務(wù)和支持縮水,。
馬斯克揭露的欺詐問題恰巧提供了雙贏的“第三條道路”——在不削減公共服務(wù)前提下減少預(yù)期支出,。
然而,盡管每年500億美元的追繳額度驚人,,但相較美國2023年凈利息支出(最新可用數(shù)據(jù))6,580億美元,,該數(shù)額仍是杯水車薪。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
? Elon Musk and his band of “geniuses” at DOGE say there could be some $1 billion a week being paid out by the Treasury to fraudulent accounts. President Trump told reporters this could tip the scales in America’s multitrillion national debt headache, though Musk’s figure is only a fraction of interest payments alone.
President Donald Trump believes America’s $36.2 trillion national debt—and its corresponding interest payments—might actually be smaller than estimated owing to fraud.
The commander in chief told reporters on board Air Force One this weekend that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will investigate “Treasuries,” also known as T-bills—market shorthand for government debt securities that can be purchased by members of the public and investment vehicles.
Speaking en route to the Super Bowl, Trump explained: “The whole country looks like it’s a fraud. It’s fraud, waste, abuse. What Elon and his group of geniuses have found is unbelievable—and that’s just in USAID.
“Soon we’re going into education—you’ll find the same thing but bigger. Soon we’re going into the military, and you’re going to find a lot of bad things happening there. You’ll find it because our government hasn’t functioned properly for many many years.”
He continued: “We’re even looking at Treasuries. There could be a problem … with Treasuries. And that could be an interesting problem because it could be that a lot of those things don’t count. In other words, that some of that stuff that we’re finding is very fraudulent. Therefore, maybe we have less debt than we thought of.”
President Trump did not specify whether he was referring to T-bills or government payments made via the Treasury Department.
However, when DOGE boss Musk took to X—the social media platform he owns—to share how he believes such fraud is taking place, he referred to payments handed out by the Treasury.
“Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no [Social Security number] or even a temporary ID number,” Musk posted on Saturday.
“If accurate, this is extremely suspicious. When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!!
“This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.”
As such, the Tesla boss refers to “entitlement” payments—such as Medicare and Social Security—and not low-risk government debt bonds.
Musk made this point after outlining a raft of measures he has introduced alongside the Treasury.
These include introducing categorization codes for payments to make auditing more straightforward; a do-not-pay list of entities which are fraudulent, or related to deceased individuals; and the launch of a “rationale field” for payments so that the spending can be justified.
Is Treasury fraud a new phenomenon?
Individuals committing fraud against the Treasury is not new; work continued to redress the issue under the Biden administration.
In 2024, for example, the Treasury announced it had recovered $4 billion in fraudulent payments by deploying AI to expedite the identification process.
Fraud can occur, for example, when the government isn’t informed that an individual has died. As such, erroneous payments to this person may continue after their death.
In January, the Treasury Department announced it prevented and recovered more than $31 million in five months after it tested a pilot using the Social Security Administration’s Full Death Master File.
As such, the department could pinpoint which accounts it should no longer pay into, with the millions of dollars recovered described by former fiscal assistant secretary David Lebryk as the “tip of the iceberg.”
However, these figures are still some way below the $50 billion in fraud alleged by Musk.
National debt concerns
Some potentially positive news on national debt will be a relief for everyone from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
The economy veterans, along with a host of other market watchers and experts, have become increasingly concerned by Uncle Sam’s growing deficit and, more important, the interest payments that accompany it.
Experts are most alarmed by America’s debt-to-GDP ratio. Simply put, the money it owes versus the growth of the economy and hence, its ability to service its debt.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), for example, estimates that national debt will balloon to $50.7 trillion—122.4% of GDP—in 2034.
As such, interest payments are expected to sit at around $1.7 trillion by that same year.
Experts fear that if America’s economy does not remain strong enough to foot the bills it is racking up, at some point, lenders will stop buying the debt, will begin asking for higher interest payments, or will call in their loans—a market “rebellion” as Dimon phrases it.
Policymakers have two options to bring this balance of debt and GDP back into line.
The first—and widely preferred choice—is to grow the economy through progressive policies. The second would be to cut debt, which experts worry would include axing public services and support.
Musk’s apparent uncovering of fraud presents a win-win situation: reducing expected payments without cutting public services.
However, while $50 billion a year in savings is an eye-watering amount, it is still a fraction even of the net interest costs America paid out in 2023 (the latest available data), which totaled $658 billion.