During “Sunshine Week,” Ranking Member Markey Slams Rampant Trump Administration Fraud

RM Markey: "The Trump administration has spent the last year operating in the shadows."

(Washington, March 18) - Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today slammed the Trump administration's attempts to conceal fraud from the American people at a Small Business Committee hearing titled "Sunshine Week: Bringing Secret Government Spending to Light." At the hearing, Ranking Member Markey condemned the rampant fraud taking place in the federal government under the Trump administration and called for transparency from Trump's Small Business Administration (SBA), emphasizing its refusal to bring to light the operations of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the SBA last year.

"The Trump administration has spent the last year operating in the shadows-purging essential programs, disappearing databases, and firing nonpartisan federal staff. It has tried to silence the truth, ban facts, and coerce reporters into staying silent," said Ranking Member Markey. "Instead of shining light on actual waste, fraud, and abuse, the Trump administration is once again playing political games and leaving the American people in the dark. At best, it's unacceptable. At worst, it's a deliberate series of cover-ups that benefit Trump and his MAGA minions-not the American people."

During the hearing, Ranking Member Markey introduced his witness, Dr. Joshua Miller, Director of Congress Watch at Public Citizen, who emphasized the importance of rooting out all waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government through oversight and highlighted how the Trump administration continues to undermine oversight and transparency.

"Scrutiny of government spending is essential, but not merely to preserve taxpayer dollars. Fraud, waste, and abuse often serve as early warning signs of deeper corruption and institutional failures within government," said Dr. Miller. "When oversight institutions are weakened, the consequences extend far beyond financial losses."

At the hearing, Ranking Member Markey spotlighted the harmful actions taken by the Trump administration, including reports of a fraudulent contract awarded to a company responsible for organizing President Trump' destructive rally on January 6, 2021, the firing of 17 Inspectors General across the federal government, and DOGE's reckless rampage, such as the arbitrary cancellation of programs and grants and the theft of Americans' sensitive financial information.

Ranking Member Markey has fought hard to bring the Trump administration's DOGE operations at SBA to light and protect independent oversight.

• In August, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to the SBA to investigate the unprecedented collection of private user data by DOGE, based on reports that unvetted DOGE operatives gained wide-ranging access to SBA's information systems and the National Finance Center, which contains the private personal information of small businesses and Americans across the country.
• In February 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to the acting SBA Administrator demanding answers about reports that DOGE employees gained access to SBA data and payment systems.
• In January 2025, Ranking Member Markey condemned the mass firing of independent, nonpartisan Inspectors General across the federal government, including the SBA Inspector General.