Back in 2023, when few were paying attention to the Defense Department’s inability to pass an audit, Jon Stewart highlighted exactly what happens when you start asking the right questions.
As the Dept of Govt Efficiency (DOGE) begins to engage the massive government agencies, it is well worth reminding ourselves of the institutional mindset that permeates these government silos. The conversations between Jon Steward and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks takes place at a symposium cohosted by the University of Chicago’s school of public policy.
Below is an excerpt of the larger conversation. This small part shows the hubris of the DoD being questioned about the $850 billion in taxpayer funds that are given to the military. WATCH:
The full interview is HERE on C-Span for review.
DOGE lead Elon Musk is highlighting this interview today to help people understand the mindset the DOGE team are encountering as they begin to question the spending of various agencies within the federal government.
Former Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks exemplifies the perspective and outlook of the bureaucrats within the federal government. The arrogance and evasion on display are quite remarkable. Now extend this attitude across the broad systems of government, and these are the people in direct opposition to President Trump and Elon Musk.
This is enraging and justifies the actions Trump’s taking.
I still wonder whether deputizing Musk, with his transhumanist derangement and dizzying conflicts of interest, will ultimately bring consequences MAGA would never have signed up for.
And I’ll say this, that I hope some here will not be automatically reactive. Many, many of the 2M gov employees who are now being treated like degenerate crap are regular people who aren’t bought in on DEI, who greatly respect their jobs and the public, and who truly understand and appreciate that they have good jobs (better than most enjoy) and direct their gratitude toward serving the public as best they can — aside from party politics and truly trying to do a good job.
Many of these jobs rightfully should be destroyed – hell I know people in fed gov who voted for Trump knowing what it meant. They understand the actions, they voted for it — but the absolute contempt for federal workers is unnecessary and is the beginning of radicalizing people in the wrong direction. Elon’s actions are deliberately chaotic and intended to belittle and terrorize federal employees. The fact that MAGA takes glee in their misery is — I believe — is short-sided and missing the forest for the trees. Many of the people suffering right now are MAGA, or at least get the point of MAGA and probably voted for Trump. These people we read about at Treehouse have outsized power but are not reflective of many, many people paying the price in federal gov. This stuff is not their fault; they’re not lazy; they’re not entitled. These have been legit jobs — and yes, time to downsize, but no need to treat all these people like parasites and scum. The effect will be to radicalize people in the wrong direction — many of whom actually had been leaning our way.
💁♀️
WOW….talk about the arrogance of the Weiemacht…
Yes, but he wants to give them a severence of eight months pay/benefits. By then, we should be able to employ the good ones elsewhere in government. The ones filing suit, not so much.
The legit ones have nothing to worry about. If they are there for the sake of being there then they need to start getting their resume out there. The fact is the budget is 100% unsustainable. Jobs WILL BE LOST, that’s how the fix shakes out. Tears shed now, bankruptcy avoided later.
I see your government employee sympathy and I raise it with contempt.
Only 6% of these people have even been physically coming in to work since the beginning of Covid in 2020! Hardly a ringing endorsement for their motivation to keep their work at the highest possible standards of proficiency!
good one.
Sympathy isn’t the point. The point is learning how to win and not alienate people on the same team (or mostly supportive of the team). There’s just really no point in blanket contempt for a swath of Americans, based on assumptions about them. We aren’t better by being that way, and MAGA isn’t stronger.
If anyone is alienated by leaders implementing MAGA policies, then there’s no hope for them anyway. There SHOULD be excitement among employees to have new leadership that are going to whip agencies back into shape and restore credibility.
Yes, some good people effected
The left swung the pendulum for decades, further and futher left
Cant be surprised that at some point the pendulum swings now equally the opposite way
If it didnt our society would end
Things that cant go on forever.. never do
Sorry, not buying. If these ‘dedicated’ public servants were that dedicated, they should have been whistleblowers on all of the waste and corruption. I know of one guy who went to the private sector that said that there was one person at NASA that all they did was to run their thermal analysis for each shuttle mission and that’s all they did. In between missions, they didn’t do anything else.
BINGO
Buy it or don’t buy it. I want MAGA to stay broad and popular. Heaping contempt on people many of whom were glad to see Trump win is counter-productive. Gloating and taking glee in others’ misery is the prerogative of a winning political side — but it’s not always far-sighted to wallow in it.
A lot of the stuff I read here about federal workers I just know not to be broadly true, but I’m not going to fight everyone I don’t really care what people think (I’m not a fed if anyone wonders). Being decent toward people (especially when we’re winning) I would hope would be a defining characteristic. What’s fun about MAGA rallies is realizing how wide the coalition is. Being generally positive to normal everyday people (even if they work for the government) is a winning strategy.
“Elon’s actions are deliberately chaotic and intended to belittle and terrorize federal employees”…if auditing the books is terrorizing and chaotic to Fed employees, they have worse problems than the loss of a job; as in, psychological.
Did these government employees EVER challenge the status quo? Or was it a go-along to get-along; after all, it’s no skin off their back?
The government is bloated and DC in particular has become a cesspool.
Why are so many government employees averse to going back to the office? It’s easy…everyone else across America have to get kids to daycare or school; find and pay for parking, while making a commute; still have to get to the grocery store on the way home; etc etc
A lot of Government employees were exempt from getting a Convid shot, but not mainstream Americans..no, they were threatened with losing their jobs if they didn’t kneel and take the jab. Where exactly were all these good government employees protesting in the streets on behalf of their fellow Americans??
IDGAF!
Resentment is ugly from any political stripe. If you read what I said, I was talking about feds who voted for Trump KNOWING what was coming — even losing their own jobs. People don’t need to be belittled and treated like crap. Man so many people here are pretty confident they know better and take glee in a hard time for others Americans … so sure everything wrong is THEIR FAULT. This mindset will eat the soul of a movement.
All Federal Employees were mandated to take the shot. I took a religious exemption. Out of the 100ish employees in my department only 7 didn’t. Across the board I believe 98% of VA employees too the shot. It’s having terrible repercussions. I know of at least 10 people in my department battling cancer. Two deaths from cancer, and at least one person I know completely disabled. Most veterans took the shots too. 🥺
I am very happy for your decision. I am sad for the many that fell to workplace pressures – they should have just quit. The data, as your decision alludes, was available and in plain sight.
Having said all that – your colleagues (former or not) are simply NOT my problem.
I am NOT in the medical profession, but I damn sure recognize Government/Corporate BS when I see it.
Many, many?? Seriously doubt that. I’ve known a few people from the DC area and talked with some. Most everyone in the entire DC area since at least the 1950s has wanted to work for the federal gubmint. You don’t have to work very hard, great pay and benefits, all holidays off, and lots of vacation days. What’s not to like?
Today we have a situation where most fed gubmint employees feel entitled to their jobs and paychecks, look down on flyover country, and would do anything to keep their gravy train running. The federal gubmint is now weaponized against US citizens. The disdain and hatred is definitely warranted.
Don’t know about “most everyone”. These days you have the high tech corridor from Dulles to the northwest, and also in Montgomery County on the Md side. A good portion of the business comes from USG funding, but certainly not all and I don’t think working for these companies is significantly different than working for others. Sure, you have your “beltway bandits” but these I don’t think dominate the private sector like they did in the past. Have a lot of family / friends in DC area and exactly one (except uniformed military) was a senior HR person for the feds (a couple also worked at Naval Academy if you consider that DC); all the rest worked for companies like everyone else.
👍🏻
Exactly … unlike the private sector – where instant downsizing/firing/layoffs if there’s the slightest possibility of a slowdown … NOT so with BLOATED government jobs and employees – UNLESS you are military – when the Vietnam war ended hundred of pilots & navigators were almost immediately eliminated … I’m sure there are other examples.
Downsizing is always ugly and many top people are told to “fall backwards into the trench” as the machine guns flare. They’ll recover, some will be rehired at higher grades, some will suicide themselves. Unfortunately it’s 80 years of corpulent growth. We’re broke….until the theft is stopped.
I went through the post-VN downsizing and “peace dividend”; know all about “downsizing”. We “downsized” ourselves out of four naval shipyards and now can’t maintain the fleet.
If you want waste; waste was giving Hunters Point to San Francisco so they can give illegals homes there.
Ya know,,, most of us tax payers who work in non Gov. jobs live in fear every time new management, downsizing, or merger’s occur. Jobs are usually lost, management usually changes, work loads get redistributed and the system usually gets back on track.
That is just the way business happens in the real world.
I really don’t care what direction they lean. It seems they all have had the luxury of a level of job security unheard of in the real world.
Perhaps getting a taste of the real world and learning what accountability means will help those who are not lazy or do not feel entitled to use this as a learning experience.
As FJB once suggested,, people who lose their job can always learn to code.
After all that these wonderful, amazing Govt. employees have done to destroy my family, my country and Western Civ, forgive me if I don’t give AF what happens to them.
These are people who care about their jobs so much that 98% of them don’t even bother to show up for work.
And how many of them were willing to blow the whistle on the enormous fraud that was taking place right under their noses?
Good riddance to all of them them- I couldn’t care less. Let them see what it’s like in Realville.
“I still wonder whether deputizing Musk, with his transhumanist derangement and dizzying conflicts of interest, will ultimately bring consequences MAGA would never have signed up for.”
Yes.
I wonder about that too.
The transhumanist fever dream may well be coming one way or another. I pray Trump has a handle on this. Thanks for your comment.
To date indications are he has no idea, per his close embrace of Musk, Theil, Ellison et al. Let’s hope someone who sees things as they are gets close to him, real soon. When it counts. Before it’s too late. Which already it maybe…
This reads like a Hannity segment about the Good FBI Agents.
I have news for you:
No one give AF anymore, about these people. If they didnt blow the whistle on the corruption and waste, they are part of problem. We are all out of F’s to give. Deservedly so. These leeches could not survive in the real world of business, and have become complacent with the gold plated pensions and inflated wages. Most of them dont even bother to come into a physical workplace.
Give it a rest. The nonsense you just posted is pretending not to know things. Sounds to me like, well, you just might be one of these coddled, entitled lazy workers.
Tell them to learn to code, and next time, stand up for the taxpayers/voters, and maybe there would be some sort of sympathy.
SMH. Wow….
meh..
Government employees are no more no less than a mirror of society at large. 47% voted for Harris.
I voted for Trump knowing that I might lose my job. I work at the VA. Lots of patriots there.
“Truths necessary for our own character must not be suppressed out of tenderness to its calumniators.”
–Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1815
Some abusers are more enabling than others.
Democrat lawmakers tried to bully their way into the Department of Education
https://rumble.com/v6ipbav-democrat-lawmakers-tried-to-bully-their-way-into-the-department-of-educatio.html
Black Democrats DESTROY The Democratic Party!
And yet none of the ‘many’ came forward to shine a light on the situation?
Yes, like my neighbor who is working diligently as part of the high speed internet connectivity grant for rural NC which stems from the federal bipartisan 65 billion $ infrastructure bill signed into law in November of 2021. 3+ years later after much labor and research and starlink being dismissed offhand as unreliable and expensive, not one family, not one, has been connected to high speed internet in NC through this grant. Is she lazy or does she feel entitled I couldn’t say. Is she a nice neighbor? Yes very. But at some point an honest person realizes they are involved in a boondoggle and the honerable thing to do is speak up and step out or now you are complicit.
Did you see how many people in Northern Virginia voted for Trump? I they are the ones that should be kept in there roll in government.
Many, many of the 2M gov employees who are now being treated like degenerate crap are regular people who aren’t bought in on DEI, who greatly respect their jobs and the public, and who truly understand and appreciate that they have good jobs (better than most enjoy) and direct their gratitude toward serving the public as best they can — aside from party politics and truly trying to do a good job.
…
and yes, time to downsize, but no need to treat all these people like parasites and scum. The effect will be to radicalize people in the wrong direction — many of whom actually had been leaning our way.
May The LORD guide in the decisions being made.
May GOD continue to BLESS AMERICA!
BLESSINGS everyone…keep the FAITH.
Learn to code. *yawn*
Elon,
Bring in the fear of god to these people that will beg to be fired instead of going to jail
This guy ^^^^^ is now head of the Rockefeller foundation.
That nasal voice! !
OY!
That video of Cankles must have been done when she was Secretary of State and the Clinton Foundation was raking in big $$$$ from her influence peddling. She was so smug in the video. One of the greatest things Trump did was stop her from becoming President.
It’s all snark and giggles from this Chrystia Freeland of the DoD until Leibowitz drops one of his trademark F-bombs, and then it’s all increasing spending. Musk and DOGE cannot do enough to this ilk.
Truly vile creature.
I hope this woman is nowhere near govt. at this point in time!
After watching, I’ve determined that had I been condescended to as she was to Stewart, I’d have to diverge from character and slap her stupid.
Yet Jon Stewart is one of the biggest defenders of the Democrat politicians/bureaucrats and the current system. He is also one of the biggest critics of President Trump. He should be loudly cheering Trump for what DOGE is doing. Why isn’t he? Hmm. I wonder if any of his government friends and his “credibility” are at risk.
Count on it.
A drop in the bottomless bucket….
How about $21 TRILLION!!!
We don’t yet even the half of it. 😡
https://usawatchdog.com/missing-21-trillion-means-federal-government-is-lawless-dr-mark-skidmore/
Absolutely he should maximize his security.
She got dry-mouth very quickly. That’s a telltale sign of “Uh oh. I’m in deep kimchi.”
Here is what people likely don’t understand about Mr. Musk.
A traditional MBA department head in charge of managing a budget sees things in terms of a zero sum allocation. If the department is not manage to the entirety of the annual allocation of the expenditures of a budget. These MBA types have no incentive to managing to efficiencies. Doing so results in two basic outcomes. First, since their compensation is directly tied to the size of the budget they administer. Second, managing to save costs results in the budget being reduced and thus the size of budget next year is less and thus the amount of compensation contract position is diminished.
See how it works.
So back to Mr. Musk. His likely management MBA philosophy is such.
Budget allocation is driven by a goal. If a department head brings in an annual expenditure under budget. That person is rewarded.
Second, a realistic operating budget that has been slimmed down to a base-lined of managed efficiency and runs over budget the MBA manager is not penalized. This only means funds need to cover the over-run.
In Mr. Musk way of looking at things. All savings through managed efficiencies are directly tied to more monies for the R&D pie.
Growth in this sector equates with economic growth of opportunities for constructive employment within work force.
He basically stands the MBA model on its head. And, says the role of MBAs is to managed efficiencies. Your job is to identify inefficiencies and more importantly identify avenues of placing capital to work that result in outcomes of economic expansion.
A person with that MBA mentality would never have been able to develop a rocket catching launch pad.
You don’t seriously think Musk did that all by himself, do you?
How the hell does a single human being do everything Musk has done, without having secretive backers and secretive resources? To hallucinate he’s just a genius entrepreneur along the Tony Stark lines is juvenile hollyweird fantasy while weirdly being precisely the model he has cultivated for himself.
The entrepreneur has the creative vision, the technocrats work out the solutions.
Not sure where secretive plays into all of this.
So, you are largely correct, one person doesn’t address all the complexity.
But one person can revolutionize how we look at things.
In reality, there is a continuum for all of this as pure science moves to applied science moves to industrialization. All sorts of different people/specialists involved at each stage.
That’s true as in the days of Ford and Carnegie etc but we are no longer in those days of 100 years ago, we’re in the days where a valid patent breakthrough in a known science gets thrown round the world within minutes of going commercial, and this changes everything.
The basic point I was making was that how was it possible for Musk as a lone human with good connections to the business world to come up with something NASA would find challenging to accomplish even within ten years, yet he seemingly effortlessly does it, in no time at all. How is that even possible? In one industry? Let alone, in cars, in rockets, in tunnel boring machines, etc; all at the same time, and all amazingly successful, at least in the West?
How does one person do all of that, without apparent help, from anyone?
Musk’s genius is in finding other geniuses to work toward the goal he’s set. “Big Balls” is a prime example of that.
Musk is like Andrew Carnegie (steel) or Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroads). Hard work and great ideas.
Become Suspicious Cat.
No one is saying he accomplished the successes all on hi own. But he does know how to surround himself with top talent and get the best out of them. He’s always got his eye on the prize. Always thinking of solutions outside the box to the shock & awe of the American people. That’s what a great manager can do.
He’s capable.
Is he Superman?
Tried to watch but my gagging prevented me from finishing. Look, this nitwit has no more idea of the purpose of an audit than a chicken scratching in the dirt. We can’t continue this way for another day. I’m praying for DOGE and more importantly the American people to see the wisdom and benefit of cleaning house. The 26 elections are around the corner. Neither the Senate nor the House can be lost.
That laughing to interrupt/intimidate seems to be a dem female thing. Hillary and Kamala came to mind when I watched her.
Yeah, especially with Killery. it’s like saying to your interviewer…oh, honey no (you’re wrong). I’m smarter than you.
The hubris on this individual is disgusting. Her passive dismissal of legitimate concerns by the American people just further demonstrates how those who reside inside the beltway are simply out of touch with the rest of the common sense thinking nation.
To arrogantly pawn off that the DoD can’t pass an audit doesn’t equate to waste, fraud or abuse because it doesn’t fit the definition of what an “audit” is in bureaucratic parlance is suggestive of how stupid they think the American people are.
She’s an absolute hideous individual!
I would love to ask her if she’d be ok paying her credit card bill if it arrived with a $6,000.00 balance due every month and not itemized. My guess is she’d not be ok with that.
Such hideous, vile hubris.
I remember thinking how arrogant and uncredible she was the first time I watched this, but when she talks about what they’re doing about “food insecurity” as she redefines it she doesn’t really address the fact that a huge number of military families are ON FOOD STAMPS.
Why might that be?
Food instability = barely fed. And word on the street here in IL is the Great Lakes Naval Base commissary has been experiencing stock shortages in almost everything. Wives of non-comms are stuck at home beacuse of the lack of childcare so they can get a job. Not to mention the substandard housing they live in on & off base though if my memory is working, Great Lakes is undergoing a huge rehab of their on base housing. it was bad. The same could have been said of Fort Sheridan and Glenview Naval Air Station until the feds closed them and sold them off. Can’t speak to Rantoul, which I think is Air Force, we don’t get much reporting from that area of the state up here, but I can’t imagine it isn’t better off. Follow the money trail and force a real professional audit.
Awful listener and sounded as though she was plastered.
Take your nice pink eraser and color her gone!
Kathleen Hicks is a classic example of intentional, arrogant, criminal dishonesty. That’s how corrupt functionaries of the Deep State act when they have never been held accountable.
Sorry Kathleen, but you are not nearly
“She so Fine, there’s no telling where the money went!”
Oh dear, another nutty female promoted above the level of her incompetence. Does she not realize we see thru her bureaucratic doublespeak and canned phrases?
She is what gives women in power a bad name. She is a clown.
Occasionally Stewart gets it right, despite himself.
The term “audit” is getting quite a bit of work here. When people hear “audit” they mostly think “financial audit”. If you wanted to learn more about why the outside auditor gave a qualified opinion, you should interview the DoD Comptroller, not the former deputy who came up through the USD Policy ranks.
I’ve actually reviewed the audit report. What I see as the biggest issue is the working capital funds which seem to be an issue every year. I’ve been assigned to commands that were in this system. The idea is to run like a business, but the operating results are supposed to be “break even”. Not sure what the actual problem is.
What commenters seem to be wanting is a managerial or performance audit. This is what GAO does all the time. I’ve been assigned to commands with full time GAO on site. From a program standpoint, all major programs (ACAT I) also go through the SAR review process with Congress. DOT&E also can be seen as a type of audit by test.
Wow. She is obnoxious
Liberal. White. Woman. Of course she’s obnoxious.
homely, you forgot homely ….
wt*?
Hicks treated Stewart disgracefully, so condescending.
I do believe she was peeing into her depends during that interview… lol
One cannot despise these bureaucrats enough. They know better, you’re just pondscum and have no right to question their authority.
Remember the Dems tell us Americans we need these “experts.” Like you need cockroaches in your house.
Kathleen Hicks was extremely defensive and condescending in her interview with Democrat-friendly Jon Stewart. Wow. I’m so glad she’s gone. I noticed from her DoD bio that she has no military service so she probably didn’t criticize Trump’s Hegseth nomination. I have a feeling she was running the DoD during Biden’s term, it seems Lloyd Austin was largely a figurehead.
she can’t even answr a damned question, laughing as she tries to stonewall. Such arrogance. She knew then, the nervous twit, Stewart had her by the shorthairs.
Jon Stewart?
Audit.
Eliminate her position.
In summary —
Stewart: We’re spending too much money and have no idea where it is going, that’s fraud.
Hicks: You have no idea what fraud is. We need to spend even more money.