Staff ReportsThe incoming President Donald Trump is gearing up to slice through the federal budget with the finesse of a butcher at a barbecue. Federal spending is about to take a hit, starting with the ridiculous practice of using taxpayer dollars to teach monkeys how to gamble. That might be amusing for some, but for the hardworking Americans footing the bill, it’s a dollar-sucking travesty. Trump is pushing forward with his campaign promise to trim the fat from a bloated budget and weed out wasteful spending with a new commission aptly dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Headed by none other than tech moguls Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, this commission is tasked with achieving the impossible: making government lean and mean—or at least less of a tax-drain on the public.
Having pledged to cut regulations and streamline operations, the commission aims to partner with the White House budget office for an all-out assault on bureaucracy. While Trump hasn’t provided all the juicy details about which budget items are on the chopping block, he and Musk are eyeing the federal budget’s staggering $6.75 trillion price tag with a critical gaze. Musk has even hinted at getting rid of the Department of Education and NPR’s funding, both small potatoes in the grand scheme but symbolic of a larger intent to end wasteful government spending.
"Wow, working families are really struggling with high costs. Guess it's time to give tax breaks to the people at the top who are profiting from those costs!"
Genius. pic.twitter.com/fd9uZYt6H2
— Americans For Tax Fairness (@4TaxFairness) November 13, 2024
Experts like Veronique de Rugy, a political economist at George Mason University, argue that there’s over $2 trillion ripe for the picking in federal spending, with one simple solution: across-the-board cuts. A mere 6% reduction of the Pentagon’s $800 billion budget would free up a handsome $50 billion. Meanwhile, Chris Edwards from the Cato Institute suggested that axing state aid could save taxpayers $1.1 trillion every year. Just imagine how many fruitless cookie-cutter programs could be nixed if aid for Medicaid, green energy doled out to the eco-centric elite, and arts projects that seem like they were dreamed up on a bad acid trip were all eliminated.
Batching waste isn’t just a minor endeavor; it’s monumental. The federal government last year forked over around $300 billion on overpayments across programs like Medicare and unemployment benefits. If the common-sense cutting proposed by the DOGE goes through, there is real hope that funds wasted on projects like changing the gender of monkeys could be redirected to something meaningful, like supporting American families instead of enabling absurd governmental experiments. The fact that $3.7 million was spent on teaching monkeys to “decide” when to gamble is practically begging for a deep dive into why federal agencies are so willing to throw money at the wall hoping it sticks.
However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to getting these sensible cuts approved. Most decisions will have to navigate the choppy waters of Congress, where Republicans often act more like Santa Claus than fiscal hawks. The last thing many of them want is to disappoint their constituents with spending cuts. Even with majorities in both chambers until 2026, there’s palpable resistance. Previous attempts to rein in spending, like Reagan’s ambitious overhaul or Obama’s reform commission, floundered because Congress operates like a ship with no rudder—it’s the epitome of wishing upon a star without ever really pushing for the reform needed to manifest change.
The financial health of the nation hangs in the balance, and while the DOGE brings a refreshing glimmer of hope, a cynical observer might wonder if these proposals will be swept under the rug faster than a political scandal. If Congress can’t muster the fortitude to trim the enormous budgetary waste that has become second nature in D.C., Americans may continue watching their hard-earned tax dollars squandered on projects that would make even the most avid gambler uneasy. With any luck, Trump and his team will take advantage of the unique opportunity before them and make some unexpected decisions that ensure the federal government finally toes the line of accountability.
