Despite aggressive cost-cutting by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, federal spending has reportedly climbed by $154 billion since Donald Trump returned to office.
Government spending is significantly higher under Trump’s second term compared to the same period in 2024 under Joe Biden, according to the analysis by the Wall Street Journal, citing the Treasury Department’s daily financial statements.
The increase—$154 billion—comes even as DOGE, led by Elon Musk, touts $150 billion in cost savings through job cuts, contract terminations, and the rollback of diversity and aid programs.
It’s frustrating because it’s really not fucking hard to pull up the federal budget for any given FY, which is presented in giant labeled blocks showing relative size, and each of them break down into their components when you click on them. When you pull it up, you see the absolutely massive blocks of Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security, and Defense, then everything else, where even a literal child can point and say which blocks are really big and which ones are small.