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A former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) official is making explosive claims that the federal government secretly spent $21 trillion building a vast underground network of bunkers, “city infrastructure,” and transportation, allegedly designed to protect elites in the event of a catastrophic disaster.
Catherine Austin Fitts, who served as assistant secretary of housing and urban development for housing under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1990, made the allegation during a recent interview on Tucker Carlson’s podcast.
She claimed the network includes more than 170 underground and undersea facilities connected by hidden transit infrastructure.
“There’s an underground base, city infrastructure, and transportation system that’s been built,” Fitts said. “We have built an extraordinary number of underground bases and, supposedly, transportation systems.”
Her claims, also recounted by Realtor.com, have not been corroborated by any official source — and there is no public evidence supporting the existence of such facilities.
The U.S. government has not responded to her assertions.
Claims tied to questionable accounting
Fitts cited a 2017 report by Michigan State University economist Mark Skidmore, who said he and a team of researchers uncovered $21 trillion in unsupported financial adjustments at the Department of Defense and HUD between 1998 and 2015.
Skidmore said his investigation began after hearing Fitts reference a Department of the Army report showing $6.5 trillion in unaccounted adjustments in fiscal year 2015.
“I thought she meant billion, not trillion,” Skidmore said at the time. “So I found the report myself, and sure enough it was $6.5 trillion.”
While the report raised concerns about transparency and internal controls in government budgeting, it did not provide evidence that the money was used to build secret infrastructure.
Alleged network hidden from public
Fitts said she and a group of investigators spent two years reviewing data and reports on underground facilities and estimated the existence of at least 170 such bases.
“We systematically went through and tried to guess — this is totally a guess — how many underground bases (there are), both underground in the United States, but also underground under the ocean around the United States,” she said. “And our estimate was 170 with a transportation network connecting them.”
She claimed the purpose of the facilities is to serve as refuge for powerful individuals in the event of a “near-extinction event.” She also suggested the sites may be used for undisclosed government projects — including what she called a “secret space program.”
Speculation on energy and technology
Fitts said she believes the government has developed advanced energy systems to power the hidden infrastructure, though she provided no technical details or evidence.
“I’m convinced that this energy exists,” she said. “If you look at a lot of the really fast ships flying around the planet, they’re not using classical electricity.”
Carlson responded by sharing a secondhand account from a contractor who claimed to have worked on one such facility in Washington, D.C., describing an alleged hidden egress from the White House disguised as a power transformer on Constitution Avenue. Carlson did not provide evidence to substantiate the story.
Bunker interest in private sector
Fitts’ allegations come amid rising interest in high-end bunkers among the wealthy.
A Virginia-based company called Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments (SAFE) recently unveiled plans for a $300 million luxury doomsday compound called “Aerie,” Realtor.com added.
The facility is marketed as a private, members-only shelter offering advanced medical care and wellness amenities. Memberships reportedly start at $20 million.
SAFE has stated it intends to build similar bunkers across all 50 states, with Virginia chosen for the first site due to its proximity to Washington, D.C.
