In a speech to both Congressional rooms tonight, President Donald Trump rattles off a list of specific grants allegedly revealed by his new government efficiency (DOGE).
“$22 billion” [the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)] To provide free homes and cars to illegal aliens,” Trump said from tonight’s podium. detail In a recent report from Openthebooks.
The president also listed many other suspicious foreign aid grants, including $45 million in Burma’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarships, $8 million for Lesotho’s LGBTQI Program (“No one ever heard of”), and $40 million to improve the social and economic inclusion of sedentary immigrants. Past remarks).
In these short, fleeting moments, Trump’s speech became the most libertarian (not) Union speech.
It didn’t last long.
The president quickly transitioned and suggested that he could find more savings by blocking out undefeated social security registrants. nevertheless, reasonLast week, Eric Baum pointed out. None of these 130-year-olds receive benefits. Bad data is bad, but the savings you find by cleaning it up are minimal.
As Rep. Thomas Massey (r-ky.) pointed out in X, the same House member who praised Trump’s list of wasteful spending passed an ongoing resolution filled with deficit spending in the Republican-controlled House.
Congress rose to praise Congress for exposing the useless and fraudulent programmes funded by the Congress itself.
– Thomas Massie (@Repthomasmassie) March 5, 2025
This was followed by increased military spending, an extreme round of new extreme tariffs on Mexico and Canada, regime crackdowns against immigration, and plans for the “Golden Dome” missile defense shield.
As always, Trump’s enthusiasm to cut off the government focused on the relatively small amounts of money spent on ungrateful foreigners. These are taxpayer support, so they either turn pale, want to expand, or want to expand compared to some of the government’s Trump. (And it could be that they have already been cut, as all Doge-Centified grants are reduced, or maybe the actual spending could be much less than it claims.)
It’s great if the president identified with suffering and populist humor to slash larger line items of more substantial federal spending. For a moment tonight, it seemed Trump could seek such a cut.
There’s no such luck. I have no choice.
