In the meantime, DOGE’s price range has doubled because the begin of February, and Trump has spent thousands and thousands in tax {dollars} on golf.
A brand new evaluation of presidency contracts lower by the “Division of Authorities Effectivity” (DOGE) exhibits that, round 40 p.c of the time, these cuts haven’t yielded financial savings for taxpayers in any respect.
The evaluation, carried out by The Related Press and based mostly on information offered by DOGE itself, is additional proof that the Elon Musk-run “division” is misstating its complete financial savings numbers, and deceptive the general public within the course of.
According to the analysis, 417 of the 1,125 contracts which are listed as having not too long ago been canceled — slightly greater than 37 p.c of these contracts — account for agreements which have “already been totally obligated.” In different phrases, the funds on these contracts have already been made, which means that canceling them received’t end in any financial savings.
Regardless of this discovering, DOGE nonetheless claims that these 417 contracts by some means account for practically half a billion {dollars} in financial savings.
Charles Tiefer, a retired College of Baltimore regulation professor who’s an knowledgeable on authorities contracting regulation, explained to The Associated Press that lots of the contracts have been merely set to run out, and that they wouldn’t have amounted to future spending except they have been renewed. Canceling them now doesn’t create any new financial savings, he mentioned.
“It’s like confiscating used ammunition after it’s been shot when there’s nothing left in it,” Tiefer mentioned. “It doesn’t accomplish any coverage goal. Their terminating so many contracts pointlessly clearly doesn’t accomplish something for saving cash.”
Regardless of its purported “effectivity,” DOGE’s personal price range seems to be ballooning. From January 30 to February 8, the price range for the “division” more than doubled, going from $6.75 million to $14.44 million. The unique price range for DOGE was a lot smaller, too — at its begin, the Trump administration allotted simply $750,000 for the mission.
DOGE doesn’t look like scrutinizing its personal spending habits — nor these of President Donald Trump. Whereas DOGE continues to scrap varied contracts and packages which are within the 1000’s of {dollars}, Trump has reportedly spent over $10.7 million in taxpayer funds to play golf.
That’s possible the next charge of taxpayer spending than was seen within the first month of his first time period in workplace, when Trump engaged in six golf outings. Within the first month of his second time period, Trump has spent at least seven days golfing — around a quarter of the days he’s been in office so far.
DOGE has confronted widespread criticism for ripping by the federal authorities, with many constitutional specialists declaring that the “division” will not be authorized in any respect. Notably, DOGE staffers have accessed sensitive computer systems, together with the Treasury Division’s cost methods (though staffers at the moment are quickly suspended from accessing those systems by a court order). DOGE additionally intends to entry IRS and Social Security information.
DOGE has fired or furloughed 1000’s of federal staff up to now, together with over 1,000 National Park Service workers. The department has also mistakenly fired staff who have been tasked with monitoring nuclear weapons, gutted the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth (USAID), and canceled near $1 billion in Division of Schooling contracts.
In the meantime, at the least three members of the DOGE staff have not too long ago come underneath hearth for his or her misogynistic, racist and/or white nationalist exercise on-line. One staffer resigned after media uncovered his racist social media posts — however after Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump got here to the staffer’s protection, Musk reinstated him to the task force.
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