Although Donald Trump pledged to cut costs upon his return to the White House, his first 100 days back in office have seen staggering government spending, far exceeding that of the same period last year.
After beginning his second term in January, Trump vowed to implement sweeping reforms and budget reductions.
Now serving as the 47th president, he has issued a flurry of executive orders, including controversial moves such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and dissolving the Department of Education—a decision currently facing legal challenges.
To streamline federal operations, Trump appointed Elon Musk as the head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at eliminating wasteful spending.
According to DOGE, their actions have supposedly saved $170 billion through various strategies like asset sell-offs, contract terminations, fraud prevention, grant withdrawals, and staff downsizing. However, these claims have not yet been independently confirmed.
Despite these cost-saving declarations, CBS News reports that federal spending during Trump’s first 100 days in office has actually risen by $220 billion compared to the same time frame under President Biden last year.
Their analysis of expenditure data from January through April 29 reveals that the government is currently spending at levels not seen in the past decade, excluding the extraordinary outlays of 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 crisis.
So, where is all this money going?
A significant portion has been directed toward Medicare and Social Security, with both programs experiencing a combined increase of more than $37 billion over last year’s figures.
Additional spikes in spending have occurred in areas such as interest payments on Treasury securities, the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Agriculture.
The soaring expenditures have caught the public’s attention, prompting reactions like one YouTube user’s sarcastic remark: “So much for the government spending cuts.”
To reduce expenses, the administration has enacted widespread layoffs across multiple agencies, including the education sector.
Trump has defended the job cuts as necessary measures to eliminate what he refers to as the government’s excess.
“We’re trimming the fat,” he said in late March, according to The Independent. “Within the next couple of months, we expect to have a dedicated team of people who are truly committed to this administration and the country.”
