From dead people receiving checks to research on “transgender” monkeys: The odd list of potential cost-cutting targets for Trump’s New ‘DOGE’ Squad

From dead people receiving checks to research on "transgender" monkeys: The odd list of potential cost-cutting targets for Trump's New 'DOGE' Squad

From dead people receiving checks to research on “transgender” monkeys, a new watchdog department plans to scrutinize what it calls wasteful government spending across a $6.75 trillion federal budget.

The new watchdogs

President-elect Donald Trump has announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), appointing Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as external advisors. Their mandate is to “dismantle bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies.”

Target areas

Josh Hart, CEO of Open the Book, a fiscal waste monitoring organization, shared insights with the New York Post about potential areas for spending cuts. According to Hart, the focus will be on “spending that has been on autopilot where there’s no real thought or purpose behind it.”

Payments to the deceased

One of the most striking revelations involves payments to deceased individuals. In 2023 alone:

Internal revenue issues

The IRS faces its own internal challenges:

Controversial research funding

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded several contentious animal research projects:

COVID-19 ongoing expenses

Despite the pandemic’s decline:

Property and administrative waste

Government property management reveals significant inefficiencies:

Improper payments and fraud

Significant losses through improper payments include:

Unusual grant allocations

Recent controversial spending includes:

Looking forward

As the DOGE prepares to begin its work, questions remain about how effectively external advisors can influence entrenched government spending patterns. The initiative represents an unprecedented approach to fiscal oversight, though its actual authority and potential impact remain to be seen.

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