DOGE: Examples of federal spending that could be on the chopping block

By
SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
-
42

By CASEY HARPER | THE CENTER SQUARE

Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will take over a new effort to make the government more efficient.

President-elect Donald Trump’s new “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, is a government efficiency effort that has turned a public spotlight onto government waste and duplication in a way not done for years.

While journalists and nonprofits have been writing about examples of government waste during that time, very little of it actually got much attention.

Musk created a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) account on X where he is asking followers for suggestions.

Aside from lopping off entire agencies, here are some examples of controversial federal spending that, based on Musk and Ramaswamy’s recent comments, could be in the line of fire for coming cuts:

  • Billions to maintain office buildings, many of which are empty as employees work from home.
  • $6 million for United States Agency for International Development to
    boost tourism in Egypt.
  • $400 million of taxpayer dollars for presidential campaigns.
  • $2.6 million in taxpayer dollars to fund a critical race theory program that trains students to promote CRT.
  • Millions to train school teachers in DEI.
  • Hundreds of millions of FEMA dollars for migrants.
  • Tens of millions per year for DEI at the Pentagon.
  • Nearly $32 million in COVID funding for luxury cars.
  • $1.2 million in taxpayer dollars to find evidence that racism is to blame for poor sleep in minority communities. 
  • $426,250 for an app to encourage Latino men to exercise.
  • $28 million for camouflage uniforms that you can see.
  • Billions in improper payments of COVID funds to businesses.
  • $100 million for projects in wealthy Manhattan.
  • $1 million for the West Harlem “Environmental Justice Center.”
  • $50 million via “Environmental Justice” grant to anti-Israel group.
  • $3 billion overall for “Environmental Justice” grants to groups, many of which are accused of partisanship.
  • Part of New York’s $9 billion in federal COVID funding went to train staff in ‘culturally responsive sustaining instruction’ and ‘privilege’ and to recognize ‘equity warriors.’”
  • $200,000 spent by the Department of Defense on Starbucks espresso machines
  • Millions to study COVID “misinformation.” 

42 COMMENTS

  1. Add to the list: millions to government run radio: Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NPR (National Public Radio) that only represents left-wing ideals.

  2. Get rid of USE OR LOSE at the end of the fiscal year. A lot of money is spent on nonessential items that are not needed but line the pockets of government employees.

    • THIS! Drives a ton of waste. Also entities know that effects future capital allocation; ie. The more you spend the more you will likely receive down the line. It’s a vicious cycle.

    • Going to have to change appropriations law for that one. Unfortunately, that unnecessary rush to spend is written into US Code. Not specifically, but it is illegal for a Federal agency to “save” funds to next year. If they do not have a genuine need for the money, they cannot put it aside for a rainy day. Which means, it gets spent in that fiscal year.

    • I assume you’re referring to the bridge to the Ketchikan Airport. Let’s see…. the bridge was to provide access to an international airport that handles major airlines, cargo, commuter and regional carriers; basically, reasonable access to the entire world…. the same as the similar bridge in the smaller community of Sitka. Anyone using of the term “bridge to nowhere” in this context is being as disingenuous and dim as one could possibly be; in the same league as Sarah Palin.

    • Actually, that was the Bridge to the Future.
      Ketchikan is running out of buildable space, and Gravina Island is the best place to expand. Everywhere else is too steep, rocky, etc…
      .
      Without buildable land,, the gateway to SE AK is going to stagnate and perish.

    • Best guess is this adds to 10 billion of a 6.75 trillion budget. This is 0.15% of the budget. If this is the easy pickings its going to get a lot harder! Got a long way to go!

  5. These people spend like there is no tomorrow. Like a million is nothing. Hardly worth worrying about. But it all adds up. But for many of us a million dollars is a lot of money that would significantly change our lives one way or the other.

  9. I assume this is a short-list. There likely are thousands on thousands of smaller wastes of money that add up to BIG wastes of money. But, go after the easy big ones first.

  11. Warren Buffett stated, “I could end the deficit in five minutes. You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP all sitting members of congress are ineligible for reelection.”

  14. End the fed. Do not fund the irs, then seek to repeal the 16th amendment.

    End the cia, fbi and many of the intelligence agencies. Keep the various military intelligence agencies.

    End the dept. of agriculture, interior, energy, education, commerce, labor, health & human services, transportation, homeland security and the epa.

    As a start.

    Roll back the federal behemoth and continue to push power and agency down to the individual and then secondly to the states where they reside.

  15. We are hemorrhaging $$$TRILLIONS of Dollars per YEAR. Nearly $1,000,000,000,000 of that annual deficit is just the INTEREST on a $36,000,000,000,000 NATIONAL DEBT.
    I can’t imagine how they can cut the annual deficit by even HALF (about $1,000,000,000,000) leaving us still with a Trillion Dollar annual deficit which will continue the increase in the ever-accumulating National Debt.
    Unfortunately cutting these deficits by reducing government spending will be a drag on the economy and the Marxists will pounce on every lost job and program as evidence of failure. A “Balanced Budget” seems all but impossible.
    In conclusion, Trump no longer has personal political risk and is brave enough to attempt massive cutting. However it could damage the RINO Republicans in 2026 and 2028.
    If somehow they pull it off it will be a miracle in modern times and Trump will become the GOAT President.
    Maybe that what he’s shooting for? He’s already beat impossible odds against him like no one ever before. He may even be an ET hybrid sent to rescue mankind. That would be cool.

    • Very good cry comments, Chris until the American taxpayer gets tired of working to fund all of this on their backs we are stuck. Once the American voter and realizes that some of their hard work go to this ridiculous spending. When did we decide to support the whole world off our taxes?

      • We really don’t support the world. the money never quite makes it to those in need. It’s more of a laundering scheme. The money makes its way around the world with several taking a bite and what’s left over goes to Democrats.

  16. Might find some significant cost saving opportunities within the “Black” // “Classified” budget accounts, possibly TRILLIONS of dollars to be reallocated and/or given back to Taxpayers?

    • Good points. Not only savings, but the world would be far more stable if we quit toppling governments, starting wars, creating terror groups to “fight” and meddling by leveraging tensions.

      Trump needs to come through on ending multiple federal agencies in their entirety.

  17. Since about 70% of the federal budget is tied in with entitlement programs and the Defense budget, I don’t see how you get to the $2T in savings that Musk has eluded to without considering those areas.

    • Not entitlement, mandatory spending. You are correct, it is mostly entitlements, but it also includes interest on the national debt. Cut the debt, and you can save billions without even trying.
      .
      And, I agree, let’s stop expanding entitlement programs. “We need immigrants to do the jobs Americans won’t do.” Well, cut off the handouts, and I bet you will find Americans to take those jobs. It is funny how motivated people can get when they are hungry.
      .
      And, the defense budget can be cut as well. There is a lot of fluff that does not directly support the mission.

  18. All these titles sound good but in the end it’s just one big money laundering scheme. Very few of the dollars actually end up where they’re supposed to go. The bulk of the funds go to the usual suspects. It’s how Obama became a multimillionaire with a portfolio of large mansions in just 8 short years.

  21. Count up the number of house mortgages currently active. They are predator bait among large bottom dwellerd in finance. Each one of the financial transactions will need to be enforced upon. They have their predations down to a science. Shenanigans at Christmas; refusing to apply payments setting up debt collection proceedings before files are set up in fraudulent pools to snag the equities out from under the performing loans. The bank regulators will need to be tripled and new courts literally of equity will be needed for two years at least. Know it and prepare. Thanks.

  22. Sunset the two trillion dollar tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations and raise their taxes to a minimum of 40%. Eliminate tax loopholes for the wealthy and corporations. Tax all trades in the stock exchanges. Redistribute wealth so that it’s not concentrated in the hands of a few oligarchs. Break up monopolies in tech, big oil, pharma, online giants like Amazon and forbid grocery stores like Kroger and Albertsons to merge so as to foster competition and create employment.

Comments are closed.