White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed Wednesday on Fox News that mainstream media reporters were left in “sheer silence” when it was exposed that a limestone mine in Pennsylvania is still being used to store federal retirement files.

Leavitt stated that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is bringing to light the “rot” in Washington, D.C.

The issue gained attention during a press appearance in the Oval Office on Tuesday, where Musk and President Donald Trump addressed the outdated system that continues to rely on paper documents stored underground.

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Musk noted that the slow, manual process of handling federal employee retirements remains a serious inefficiency.

On Jesse Watters Primetime, host Jesse Watters highlighted that former President Barack Obama spent millions on the facility, asking Leavitt if Trump intends to shut it down.

“Yes, he [Trump] does. That’s why Elon Musk and President Trump brought it to the American people’s attention in the Oval Office yesterday,” Leavitt confirmed.

“As they did that, Jesse, I was watching the faces of the mainstream media reporters who were in the Oval Office, and there was sheer silence because it appeared that many of them who are supposed to be writing the truth about our federal bureaucracy had no idea that the federal retirement system is being processed deep into the ground and is not computerized.”

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The Pennsylvania limestone mine, located in Boyers, has been a storage site for government documents for years.

A 2014 Washington Post report revealed that at the time, approximately 600 employees of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) worked in the underground facility, manually processing retirement paperwork for federal employees.

Despite millions of dollars being allocated to digitize the system, the mine has remained operational.

The report also noted that under the Obama administration, additional millions were spent on the mine, with at least 200 more employees added in the past five years.

Leavitt emphasized that Musk and DOGE are playing a critical role in exposing inefficiencies within the federal government, aligning with Trump’s broader effort to reform Washington.

“They, the president and Elon, are shining a light on the truth about our federal government. But the mainstream media simultaneously is saying there’s an alleged lack of transparency and access. It’s preposterous,” Leavitt said.

“Together, President Trump and Elon, the entire DOGE team and this entire administration are shining a light on the corruption, the waste, the fraud, and abuse.”

She further described Trump’s commitment to delivering on his campaign promises.

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and they are revealing the rot of this city every single day. It’s music to the ears of the American people who voted for this. As you rightly pointed out, 77 million of them liked what President Trump promised on the campaign trail, and he is delivering, and it’s fascinating,” Leavitt said.

The exposure of the Pennsylvania mine comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to overhaul inefficient government programs.

However, pushback against DOGE and Musk’s involvement has been swift.

On February 3, Musk announced that he and Trump had agreed to restructure the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), placing it under the leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The move has sparked strong opposition from Democratic lawmakers, some of whom have openly protested in Washington, D.C. Some were seen directing profane remarks at Trump, while others have called for the Senate to be “shut down” in response.

Despite opposition, Trump’s administration appears to have growing public support.

A CBS News poll released Sunday found that 53% of Americans approve of Trump’s administration so far, with 70% saying he is following through on his campaign promises.

As DOGE continues its efforts to streamline the federal government and eliminate waste, the revelation about the limestone mine underscores the scale of bureaucratic inefficiency that has persisted for decades.

The Trump administration’s focus remains on dismantling outdated government systems and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently.

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