Editor's note: This story is posted with permission from the anonymous federal employee who shared it with us. Some edits were made for length and clarity.
I'm an Auditor and a Veteran. I work for an Office of Inspector General, or OIG.
Many Americans don't know that we exist, what we do for the American people, or why we are absolutely necessary if you want a government you can trust. Every Federal agency has an OIG with a mandate to perform independent government oversight.* Whether it's DHS, DOD, EPA, USDA, or SSA, there is an OIG.
We do this work with a tiny fraction of a federal agency's budget. In general, for every dollar spent on an OIG, we find dozens, if not hundreds of dollars of savings for the American people. We help fix inefficiencies in government programs, such as those that delay or prevent the quick awarding of grants appropriated by Congress. We also identify and stop fraudsters from stealing public funds. And there’s a lot in between.
Auditing is one of the primary ways that OIGs provide independent and non-partisan oversight of government agencies. We find and root out fraud, waste, and abuse. We look at how government programs work, and we work with agencies to make them more efficient and effective. Essentially, auditors are the first stop when you want to prevent small problems from becoming huge. Sure, we audit big problems too, but most of the time you won't notice our work because we catch and resolve problems well before they make the news.
Next, standards. OIGs audit according to Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards, or GAGAS. We call it the Yellow Book, because the print version literally has a yellow cover. Our audits live and die by these standards. Auditors are, by trade, the most pedantic people on the planet—and I mean that as a compliment to my colleagues. Every single detail matters. Every single spreadsheet, every grant application document, every dollar. We want to know the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the documents and information we collect. Even if it ends up as a footnote or appendix that nobody reads, or even if we end up pissing off a project officer or ten.
Call us bean counters if you want, but we do this for one reason: Because you, the American people, must be able to trust the information we publish.
Retractions and corrections only create more distrust, raising questions about competence and professionalism. Every single word must be supported by cold, hard evidence. We do not say or do anything without receipts. "Trust me, bro" is not an acceptable form of evidence. Our unceasing search for the truth means that the truth takes time. Finding real fraud, waste, and abuse requires absolute dedication to truth and honesty, even if it means you find nothing.
So, why did I give you a primer on my job?
Because Musk, Trump, and their lackeys claim to be looking for government waste. It should go without saying that they're lying to you.
If they were serious about solving problems like government waste, funding for OIGs would have doubled or tripled to perform independent audits.
What they are doing is fraud, waste, and abuse. Real audits are not conducted with a gaudy chainsaw, they are done with a scalpel. No real audit is done overnight during a ketamine bender. Elon Musk is not auditing the government. He does not care about what happens to Americans. He must be stopped.
These "Fork in the Road" emails from "OPM?" There have been at least 10 corrections, retractions, and grammatical errors since they were first reported as phishing. Musk has resorted to unprofessional insults to berate government employees into resigning. DOGE reports that less than 5%** of government employees took this "offer." Many of them were going to retire soon anyway.
Despite this immense political and professional pressure, federal employees continue to serve the American people. Because we took an oath of office. It is not just an ideal or a promise. It is a sacred duty to the American people. We do not serve a king, a political party, a billionaire, or a president. It is our duty to refuse illegal orders.
Help us push Congress to see past their fear and cowardice. We have seen the protests and the support. Keep it going. There are so many ways we can save this country from crumbling into oligarchy, whether it is an independent audit or peaceful protest. We all can do our part to bring back a government by the people, for the people.
*https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inspector-general-what-is-it-what-do-they-do/