Staff Reports
During a recent press conference, President Donald Trump launched an all-out assault on what he termed “the most insane” examples of wasteful government spending. With the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), helmed by the ever-controversial Elon Musk, the former president made it abundantly clear that the days of unchecked government spending are numbered—at least if he has anything to say about it.
In his signature style, Trump grilled the inefficiencies of taxpayer dollars evaporating overseas and into projects that make even the most hardened fiscal conservatives cringe. Leading the charge was a jaw-dropping figure of $520 million earmarked for an environmental study tied to ESG investments in Africa. The absurdity was not lost on the audience, as Trump quipped that his own hefty payments for environmental studies never came close to such outrageous sums—he typically spends around $50,000. It’s almost as if the government has an exclusive club for wasteful spending, and everyone, including the IRS, gets stuck paying the tab.
Not stopping there, Trump continued to unveil the grotesque expenditures littering the budget, such as the $25 million devoted to promoting biodiversity conservation and “socially responsible behavior” in Colombia. The name alone raises eyebrows; it’s as if dollars have transformed into eco-version ticket sales for a concert that no American asked for. The president didn’t let this pass without a jab, posing a rhetorical question about the necessity of sending millions abroad while turning a blind eye to pressing issues at home.
The extravagance didn’t stop at South America. Trump highlighted an astonishing $40 million allocated for the “social and economic inclusion of sedentary migrants” and $42 million to Johns Hopkins University to drive social change in Uganda. Meanwhile, he raised a familiar refrain: what about social change right here in the U.S.? These expenditures paint a vivid picture of a government that appears more interested in international good looks than taking care of its own backyard.
Here are just a few receipts
WATCH: Trump Pulls Out The Receipts, Reveals DOGE’s Most Insane Findings https://t.co/QKAChXU0bp
— Let's clean up DC (@Herschel007) February 19, 2025
Among the ludicrous findings was a shocking $10 million being wasted on voluntary male circumcisions in Mozambique. As the audience chuckled at the sheer ridiculousness, Trump questioned the rationale behind this funding when there are plenty of pressing health needs on American soil that deserve attention. The spending spree continued into Cambodia, where a cool $9.7 million was dispatched to UC Berkeley for training young Cambodians in entrepreneurship. One can only hope our own youth will get the same priority when they struggle to become financially literate.
In a stunning reveal, Trump pointed out that $486 million was allocated to programs designed to improve global elections and political processes, with eye-popping sums like $21 million directed to boosting voter turnout in India. Trump, while expressing respect for Indian Prime Minister Modi, raised an obvious point: India doesn’t need handouts; they’re one of the world’s highest-taxing nations. The double standards in funding become glaringly apparent when domestic election integrity issues are pushed aside in favor of international affairs.
DOGE has taken the bull by the horns, reportedly uncovering an estimated $55 billion in savings via fraud detection, contract cancellations, and other completions of government inefficiency. While agencies like the EPA and USAID have found themselves in hot water for mind-boggling expenditures, Trump drives home the point: taxpayers are tired of being taken for a ride. His conclusion? In his eyes, this avalanche of spending can only be described in one brutal word: fraud.
