With President Trump taking office for the 100th day on Tuesday, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said it cut at least $160 billion in federal waste, fraud and abuse, including some well-known cuts that have been highlighted over the past few months.
Suspicious spending on USAID’s $40 billion budget, including Iraq’s “Sesame Street”
The most talked about Doge’s goals in Trump’s first term was spending on the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Senator Johnni Ernst, Senator Joni Ernst, talks to Musk every few days about spending cuts, saying he has published a list of projects and programs that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported funding for years.
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President Donald Trump will greet Elon Musk on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) to watch the launch of SpaceX Starship Rocket’s sixth test flight.
Ernst emphasized that the agency has “approved a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.”
Under the Biden administration, USAID awarded $20 million to a nonprofit organization called the Sesame Workshop and produced a show called “Ahlan Simsim Iraq” to “promote inclusion, mutual respect and understanding across ethnic, religious and sectarian groups.”
USAID uncovers several examples of suspicious spending, including a “Gaza-based terrorcharity” called the Bayader Environmental Development Association and a “Gaza-based terrorcharity” of over $900,000, and a $1.5 million programme scheduled for “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Serbian Workplace and Business Communities.”
Fox News Digital previously reported that the grants worth $60 billion will be eliminated, according to internal documents. The grant reaches approximately 90% of foreign aid contracts and comes after a review of expenditures by the State Department.
Doge’s efforts at USAID did not come without opposition. This included a federal judge in Maryland who ruled the move was unconstitutional. In March, the federal court of appeals granted the Trump administration’s allegation to extend their stay that allowed Doge to continue operating under USAID.
Completely reduce DEI contracts
Since his campaign progress and inauguration, President Trump has revealed that he is aiming to cut federal spending, while arguing that a meritocratic system should be the focus.
Doge Slashes “waste” and “problem solving” contracts are worth $50,000 for the latest round of the latest round
According to the Media Research Center, Doge leader Elon Musk was hit with 96% negative coverage at ABC, NBC and CBS Evening Newscasts. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Doge has announced that it has cut hundreds of millions of yen in DEI contracts over the past few months.
Earlier this month, Doge announced it had partnered with the National Science Foundation to cancel 402 “wasteful” Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) grants.
The Department of Defense was able to save up to $80 million in wasted spending by loosening the small number of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs it announced last month.
The Department of Defense is working with the Elon Musk-led Government Efficiency Office (DOGE) to significantly reduce wasteful spending, DOD spokesman Sean Parnell said in a video posted on social media.
Parnell listed some of the original findings by Doge. Many of them consist of millions of dollars given to support a variety of DEI programs.
The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it was cutting millions of dollars from the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS) through DEI grants as part of the entire Doge Push.
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President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at the CPAC’s Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland (AP Photo/Josele Is Magana).
In February, the Department of Education (DOE) said it had cancelled more than $100 million in grants for DEI training as part of Doge’s efforts.
Federal Workforce Reduction
Doge has made efforts to reduce federal spending by reducing the federal workforce.
In February, Doge is estimated to save approximately $600 million in taxpayer dollars each year on the employment of 3,600 probation health and welfare officers and Human Services employees.
Fox Business reported in early April that the Doge cuts for the past two months were attributed to 280,253 layoffs of 27 federal workers and contractors at 27 agents. There was an additional 4,429 job cuts due mainly to downstream effects of federal aid and termination contracts at nonprofits and health agencies.
Fox News Digital, reported in February, accepted a resignation program in which around 75,000 federal employees were postponed.
“Gold Bar”: Doge-inspired EPA finds $20 billion in waste
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the Biden administration reportedly found $20 billion in taxes within the agency, inspired by Doge’s crackdown on federal spending.
“A very disturbing video was distributed two months ago, with Biden EPA political appointees saying “throwing gold bars from the Titanic” and trying to pull billions of taxes out the door before the inauguration,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said, citing another video since December in a video posted Wednesday.
The EPA has found that it manages the distribution of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to different entities “at their discretion” at its “discretionary,” such as the Climate United Fund, which reportedly received only $7 billion.
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Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk CEOs will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland on February 20, 2025. ((Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))
“The “gold stick” is taxes, and “throwing from the Titanics” meant that the Biden administration knew they were wasting it,” Zeldin said.
Zeldin said “The scheme is the first of its kind in EPA history and was intentionally designed to reduce surveillance and mandate all the money in Rush’s work.”
In an interview with Fox News, the EPA administrator praised Doge’s work at the agency, saying the cost-cutting department is “making us better.”
“They come up with great recommendations and we can decide to act on that,” Zeldin said.
Louis Casiano from Fox News Digital contributed to this report
Andrew Mark Miller is a Fox News reporter. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email him with tips to Andrewmark.miller@fox.com.
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