Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has released a report detailing unusual federal spending.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has publicized a list of surprising government expenditures, including research on “anal prints” and cocaine administration to puppies.
Following President-elect Trump’s November appointment of Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead DOGE, the panel, focused on reducing federal waste, has begun audits and reforms. While specific targets remain undefined, Musk aims to save trillions in taxpayer funds by addressing inefficient spending.
DOGE recently shared a social media post on X asking, “What does the US Government use taxpayer dollars for?”
The report revealed $6.97 million spent on “smart toilets” employing “anal print” recognition, along with $2.3 million allocated to canine cocaine studies. Further expenditures included $118,000 for a study on a Thanos robot’s finger-snapping capabilities and $75,000 in grants for a Harvard lizard-leaf blower study.
One DOGE link cited a 2021 RealClear Policy article detailing a $6.97 million Stanford study. This study involved AI-enabled smart toilets using cameras to identify users via “anal prints,” analyze waste, and transmit data to a secure cloud.
Other projects included the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) $75,000 hurricane simulation using leaf blowers to analyze lizard survival, and the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) $2.3 million expenditure (2020-2021) on beagle cocaine studies to examine cardiovascular effects, which faced public criticism.
A Treasury Department website notes that the federal government funds diverse goods, programs, and services benefiting the American public.
Trump’s election campaign included a promise to establish a “government efficiency” commission headed by Musk. Musk has repeatedly highlighted the US debt crisis, warning of potential bankruptcy without spending cuts.
Musk pledged to save American taxpayers trillions if Trump won, stating that “taxpayer money is being wasted and the Department of Government Efficiency is going to fix that.”