Mississippi State Auditor Shad White just dropped an 800-page bombshell: a staggering $400 million in government waste has been uncovered under his watch — and he’s embracing comparisons to Elon Musk and the Trump administration’s federal efficiency czar.
“In the last few weeks, we’ve jokingly started calling ourselves MOGE, the Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency, like Elon Musk’s DOGE,” White told Fox News Digital, referencing the Department of Government Efficiency led by Musk. “We approach our work with the same attention to every penny as DOGE, and I’m happy to be Mississippi’s Musk.”
But there’s nothing funny about what he found.
White’s comprehensive report exposes a long trail of bloated spending, misplaced priorities, and outright abuse of taxpayer money — from Medicaid fraud to microaggression training for engineers and preschool “social justice yoga” sessions. He said the waste spans agencies, welfare programs, and public colleges, showing a bipartisan government culture of carelessness with public funds.
DEI Gone Wild: Millions for Yoga, Microaggressions, and Wokeness
Perhaps the most absurd part? $11 million went toward taxpayer-funded DEI initiatives across Mississippi colleges — including programs like “social justice yoga for preschoolers” and training engineers to recognize “microaggressions.”
“Just crazy stuff,” White said. “Even in a red state like Mississippi, there’s still a lot of nonsense going on.”
His team uncovered cases where beauty pageants were funded with welfare dollars meant for struggling families and where community gardens promised with taxpayer support were never built.
“It’s money that’s supposed to be going to the poorest people in the state,” he said. “Instead, it’s being wasted on fringe nonsense and corrupt pet projects.”
Medicaid Abuse and Lavish Tech Buys
The report also zeroes in on Medicaid abuse, with tens of millions spent on subsidies for ineligible participants. Meanwhile, a state agency was discovered paying nearly $6,000 per television — triple what the federal government pays for similar tech.
“If you think the federal government is inefficient, I promise you, your state governments are likely even less efficient,” White said.
This kind of reckless spending hits hard in Mississippi, where 20% of residents live below the poverty line and taxpayers can least afford to bankroll useless programs.
Trump, Musk, and the National Push for Reform
White’s timing is no accident. His new report arrives amid growing national scrutiny of government waste thanks to the Trump administration’s DOGE reforms. He credits that federal effort with raising awareness and inspiring action at the state level.
“I think the big-picture point here is, this kind of waste happens at every level of government,” White said. “Now that DOGE is taking the lead and showing the country how much fraud, waste, and abuse there is, it’s really incumbent on every single state government to take a look at their own house.”
White also praised Oklahoma State Auditor Cindy Byrd for launching similar initiatives and said he’s in talks with other auditors across the South about launching regional watchdog efforts modeled after DOGE.
The Reeves Connection and What Comes Next
Though the auditor’s office doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally cut waste, it does shine a bright light on the problem — and it’s now up to Mississippi lawmakers to act. White’s past findings have already helped bolster Gov. Tate Reeves’ push to eliminate the state income tax and reshape the welfare system.
Fox News reached out to Reeves for comment on the latest findings, which could fuel a broader legislative push for budget overhauls and deeper cuts to programs that have become vehicles for fraud.
In a time when bloated bureaucracy is under a national microscope, Mississippi may now be leading the charge on accountability, with White calling for every state to launch their own version of DOGE.
“Whether it’s your state auditor, a key state legislator, or the governor — every state needs to be starting a DOGE,” White said.
If White keeps this up, “Mississippi Musk” might not just be a nickname — it could become a model for responsible government.
