The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Wednesday accused a Texas-based nonprofit of accepting $18 million a month from Health and Human Services (HHS) to operate a vacant facility.
In early 2021, a former ICE employee and Biden transition team member joined Family Endeavors (now just Endeavors), which provides services to illegal immigrants, and immediately helped secure a $530 million no-bid contract with HHS.
As American Greatness reported in June of 2021, the nonprofit announced on Inauguration Day that former ICE official, Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, would become their government liaison as senior director for migrant services and federal affairs.
The Biden administration contracted Family Endeavors through September 30, 2021 to house over 1,200 migrants at a time in Arizona and Texas.
They paid the company $86.9 million in a no-bid contract lasting 6 and a half months for a multi-state contract. Each bed totals over $352 daily. The ICE contract repeated that the “Government would be seriously injured” had they not awarded this no-bid contract to Family Endeavors to handle the migrant influx – an “unusual and compelling urgency,” as they described it. The contract also noted that the expected migrant influx would be the highest seen in over 20 years.
The contract didn’t speculate as to why this sudden, emergency-level influx was occurring.
Soon after Lorenzen-Strait joined Family Endeavor, Biden’s HHS awarded the organization with a $530 million no-bid contract for “emergency intake” and long-term care of migrant children.
The contract, which resulted in Family Endeavors’ cash and portfolio of investments growing from $8.3M in 2020 to $520.4M in 2023, has drawn the attention of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Since March 2024, HHS has paid ~$18M/month to keep the Pecos [Texas] facility open despite sitting empty,” the DOGE X account posted on Wednesday. “With national licensed facility occupancy now below 20%, HHS was able to terminate this contract, saving taxpayers over $215M annually.”
The post included images of the facility showing several stationary golf carts and a room full of tables and chairs.
The Department of Homeland Security’s X account responded to DOGE’s post by tagging U.S. Attorney Ed Martin and asking him to “please investigate.”
“Duly noted,” Martin replied on X. “We are on it.”
Martin also responded to DOGE’s post, writing: “I see it. We will dig into this.”
The Endeavors website describes the organization as helping to “restore dignity and improve the quality of life for the vulnerable people we serve through the benefits of our programs.”
The group says it also aims to assist “vulnerable people in crisis” like veterans, disaster victims, the homeless, and migrants.