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Speaking at a town hall in Wisconsin Sunday night, Elon Musk suggested that his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will investigate how certain members of Congress have achieved generational wealth.
One attendee at the town hall had asked Musk if DOGE had uncovered evidence of funds wired from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Be informed, not misled.
Many of us have wondered how so many public servants have amassed so much money, given the size of their salaries.
The New York Post has also wondered about that.
Musk responded to the question:
They’ll [the government] send the money overseas to one NGO [non-governmental organization], then they’ll go through a bunch of them, and then I’m highly confident that a bunch of that money then comes back to the United States and lands in the pockets of the people you just mentioned.
But it is a circuitous route. It doesn’t go directly, but let’s just say that there are a lot of strangely wealthy members of Congress where I’m trying to connect the dots of, ‘How do they become rich?'
The Post says, "Rank-and-file members of Congress make $174,000 annually. Last year, Musk — whose net worth is pegged at $330 billion by Bloomberg — helped kill legislation to raise congressional pay, then later supported an increase as a means of fighting corruption."
Scores of lawmakers who have spent decades in Congress are millionaires, they explain.
"Two of the wealthiest include former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has a net worth of about $250 million, and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), whose personal fortune hovers around $552 million."
The Post says Pelosi’s wealth largely comes from her and her venture capitalist husband Paul’s lucrative investments in companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Netflix.
And they say, "Scott’s personal fortunes largely stem from his work co-founding HCA Healthcare, a company that runs hospitals and other medical facilities around Florida, and Solantic, an urgent-care clinic chain. His work on both of those companies predates his time in the Senate."
“How do they get $20 million if they’re earning $200,000 a year?” Musk further pondered. “We’re going to try to figure it out and certainly stop it from happening.”
Musk has been thinking about this for some time, and I think many Americans are, too.
Last year, a post discussing several prominent members of Congress, their annual salaries, and net worths caught the attention of Musk, who is currently the world's richest person.
"It's not like these politicians started companies or were NBA All-Stars, so where did they get all the money? Does anyone know?" Musk tweeted.
The tweet included the following members of Congress:
- Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): Annual salary $223,000, Net worth $202 million
- Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): Annual salary $200,000, Net worth $95 million
- Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): Annual salary $210,000, Net worth $75 million
- Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): Annual salary: $285,000, Net worth $67 million
The replies included a post from the original poster with additional examples of politicians who have a net worth of more than $50 million.
"I am not suggesting anything. Make your own conclusions," the poster tweeted.
Conclusions
Someone recently said, "This is a time when America is turning up the light." Meaning, exposing the institutions in our country to the light of truth. Including the members of Congress."
Those members of Congress who have created their wealth honestly will likely not have a problem with the spotlight being given to their personal wealth.
However, some will resist.
As the Bible says, "The guilty flee when no one is pursuing them."
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Hopeful. Be Prayerful.
