The Department of Energy is a breeding ground for fraud and abuse—like most government agencies. In its recently released Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 performance report, the agency's Office of Inspector General identified nearly $1 billion of wasteful spending this year.
In 2024, audits from the Inspector General found more than $814 million of questioned and unsupported costs and nearly $123 million in funding that could be better used at the Department of Energy. About $25 million went to restitution, court cases, and penalties, or was returned to the agency.
