Tag: federal spending

  • A Nation Bleeds at Home While Washington Sign Checks for Bombs

    As hard-working Americans grapple with a relentlessly brutal economy and a cascade of “extraordinarily dire” financial warning signs, Trump has once again prioritized foreign ordnance over domestic survival.

    by Winston Wendell

    As I watch the economy spiral downwards, each day it seems as if the hardworking American citizens are faced with new and “extraordinarily dire” economic challenges. Despite the suffering of our own people, those in the Trump Administration continue to turn a blind eye towards the domestic crises and instead focus on “investing” in Israel’s military machine.

    Workers assemble bomb-shaped munitions; sign reads “U.S. Department of Defense – Aircraft Munitions Procurement Division.”

    Just recently, the administration approved a shocking sum of 2.8 billion dollars to fund a new military package for Israel that includes 40,000 2,000-pound bombs. With all the shortage of military hardware for the senseless war with Iran, shouldn’t be keeping these in our inventory?

    Despite the current state of our economy, the 2.8 billion dollar military package has been “paid for” through the Foreign Military Financing account. That’s taxpayer money!

    It is an insult to the American people when our government can only think of ways to spend taxpayer dollars on bombs and not on our home front troops who are suffering through the “greatest recession of the modern era.”

    What could the 2.8 billion dollars have done for America?

    The 2.8 billion dollars could have been used to repair America’s crumbling infrastructure, such as bridges and public transportation or fully fund America’s public education system.

    The 2.8 billion dollars could have been used to assist the veterans of our military who have sacrificed so much for our country and provide them with the healthcare that they deserve.

    Instead, the “investment” decision was made by those in Trump Administration who only seem to worry about defense spending and not the suffering of the American people.

    During these challenging times, it is an insult for the government to completely disregard the hardships of the American people and think only of ways to spend taxpayer dollars on foreign defense. Keep our money here to help Americans!

    Fediverse Reactions
  • The GAO Finds That DOGE Budget Reports Were Misleading

    NEWS REPORT by Winston Wendell

    According to a report released on Thursday, the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE, led by Elon Musk himself, was making up figures about the amount of money it was saving the country. The report was requested by Democratic senators Gary Peters of Michigan and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and was conducted by the Government Accountability Office.

    DOGE was found to have used “misleading practices” when it came to canceled leases and active government contracts. Additionally, the audit found that the department provided insufficient evidence for the methods used in 96 percent of the canceled grants.

    The Department of Government Efficiency was also found to have failed to follow their own formulas when it came to calculating figures for canceled leases and contracts, and in the cases where they did follow their formulas, they either missed out on the details or did not disclose them when they should have. When they did follow their own procedures, the Government Accountability Office found that they overlooked the complexities of government contracts, including liabilities and penalties that come with breaking a contract before the due date.

    “The report shows that the Trump administration’s cost-saving mission was conducted in a misleading fashion, achieving little apart from putting at risk taxpayer data and key programs,” said Senator Peters.

    “President Trump and his allies in the Senate and House have been using DOGE as a fig leaf to hide tax-cut giveaways to the wealthy and large corporations while pretending to save the deficit,” said Senator Blumenthal.

    Many people have responded to the report, including Jessica Tillipman, associate dean of the GWU School of Law, who specializes in government procurement. Tillipman cited several errors she found on the social media accounts of DOGE, one of which being a claim that the department had saved $28 million reduction in expenditures for an Air Force agreement, whereas the actual financial relief amounted to roughly $600,000 from a canceled lease. “That figure doesn’t account for the present value of future lease payments, which would reduce the supposed $3.7 million savings,” Tillipman said.

    “DOGE’s fiscal wins were mostly fictional,” write Reason editor-in-chief Eric Boehm, who covered the story for the libertarian magazine. “According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the Trump administration’s claims about savings from slashing federal spending were often based on faulty math.”

    “DOGE may soon start spending more taxpayer money, but at least the government watchdogs are forcing Musk’s agency to be more open about how it spends our money when it comes to cutting back federal services,” concluded Senator Blumenthal.

    Fediverse Reactions