The U.S. debt is currently hovering around $36.22 trillion, and it’s increasing every day. I’ve always been amazed that a country as great as ours owes money—especially to a foreign nation like China. Not good.
There’s been a lot of talk this past month about how our country has been spending money. Let’s be clear: the government—whether overseen by Republicans or Democrats—has a proven history of disregarding budgets. In fact, the government spends every nickel available, then turns around and comes back to taxpayers for more. A private business would go bankrupt operating like this. One of Mississippi’s former governors, Haley Barbour, often said, “How do you get out of a hole? You stop digging.” Excellent point.
And love him or loathe him, that’s what President Trump is trying to accomplish, along with Elon Musk—stop digging and let’s get our country’s finances in order before it is too late. Time to tear up the credit card and start paying it off.
Musk has been tasked with tackling wasteful spending through the new government entity, DOGE, which stands for the Department of Government Efficiency. What they’ve uncovered so far is incredibly eye-opening. By the way, for those who’ve heard Musk’s name but don’t know much about him, he is known for his key roles at Tesla (automotive), SpaceX (aerospace), and his ownership of Twitter, now renamed “X.” He’s also the wealthiest person on Earth. You have to be brilliant to achieve that. That’s why Trump chose Musk to lead DOGE.
DOGE’s first stop before moving on to other government agencies has been the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.
USAID is an independent agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget exceeding $50 billion, it’s one of the largest aid agencies in the world, accounting for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistance—the highest in absolute dollar terms globally. USAID operates in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
In less than a month, Musk and his team have uncovered jaw-dropping spending. Of course, we don’t want to cut Social Security or fundamental programs that keep our nation running. But what about $20 million to produce an Iraqi version of “Sesame Street”? Or, $150 billion for a climate strategy aimed at building “an equitable world with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030” where it’s unclear how much was actually spent? We’ve all seen these line items of what could be cut—not to mention the endless fraud taking place.
My friend on the coast, Ricky Matthews, recently posted the following on his Facebook page, shedding even more light: “The most conservative, well-documented estimates of fraud start at $60 billion (early congressional figures) and climb to $400 billion or more (AP and Government Accountability Office), with speculative claims reaching $1 trillion. The true total may never be known precisely, but even the lower end represents a historic loss. Recovery efforts have reclaimed only a small portion—e.g., $30 billion from SBA programs and $1.4 billion by the Justice Department—highlighting the challenge ahead. So, we can’t assume fraud doesn’t exist throughout the entire federal system. It’s pervasive across the board. This country is in serious trouble if we don’t turn this corner. Every American should cheer Elon and his team on and hope to God they find lists of stuff.”
What’s wrong with identifying government waste and stopping it? Why would anyone oppose this?
One thing is certain: we can’t keep up this spending spree, or soon we won’t have a country—or any government programs at all. Think of the Great Depression. Cuts must be made, and DOGE has the potential to change the course of history for this nation.
By the way, who was the last president to take a hard look at spending, close programs amid screams of protest, balance the budget, and hold America accountable? Bill Clinton.
Scott Coopwood
