The Trump admin is gutting the D.C. corruption. But he couldn’t have seen this one coming.
Because the Secretary of State just blindsided Donald Trump with a surprising move.
Trump State Department Saves Billions Through Grant Cuts
The Trump administration’s efforts to curb wasteful government spending have yielded significant financial savings, with the State Department leading the charge in cutting unnecessary grants. According to an internal memo shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF), these measures have already saved taxpayers billions of dollars.
The memo outlines that approximately $60 billion has been saved after the State Department eliminated more than 4,000 ongoing grants, valued at nearly $4.4 billion, along with $54 billion in multi-year awards managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This initiative continues the Trump administration’s aggressive campaign to eliminate wasteful government expenditures, which has also involved the efforts of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a project aimed at streamlining operations across federal agencies, including USAID.
The senior State Department official who provided the memo emphasized the commitment to ensuring taxpayer dollars are used in a way that aligns with the nation’s interests. “President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to ensure every dollar spent by the federal government is advancing our national interests. Secretary Rubio is leading the way at the State Department and has spearheaded a rigorous review process of all federal funds spent at this agency,” the official explained. “In just weeks, he has identified $60 billion in savings for taxpayers. This is significant and will help the Department focus on America-First priorities, critical to promoting our diplomacy around the world.”
While large portions of funding were cut, the memo stressed that essential funding for certain programs was preserved. This included “critical awards” under USAID, such as funding for food assistance, life-saving medical treatments for diseases like HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria, as well as support for nations like Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, and Cuba.
The cuts were carefully targeted, focusing on areas deemed unnecessary or wasteful. The official described the decision-making process as a commonsense approach, aiming to ensure that programs align with the administration’s priorities. “We’ve eliminated wasteful programs and refined existing ones to make sure they’re more closely tailored to the current administration’s goals,” the memo stated.
Under the previous Biden administration, USAID was found to have funded various controversial initiatives. For example, the agency spent millions on family planning programs, including purchasing large quantities of contraceptives, such as 65.5 million condoms and 9.8 million injectable birth control products in fiscal year 2022. Additionally, there were reports that both the State Department and USAID granted funds to Leftist nonprofit organizations, including the Tides Foundation and Tides Center, which were involved in funding bail for individuals arrested during Left-wing riots.
Further controversy surrounded a $75 million payment authorized by the Biden State Department to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Despite concerns that the funds could be misused, including being potentially co-opted by Hamas, a UN spokesperson later confirmed that UNRWA staff were likely involved in the October 7 attacks against Israel.
The Trump administration’s cuts are in line with Secretary Rubio’s stated goal of ensuring that federal dollars are spent in ways that will make America “stronger, safer, and more prosperous.” By focusing on targeted reductions and refining the scope of U.S. foreign aid, the State Department’s actions are a serious shift away from what Americans have grown used to over the past several decades. Most Americans find that to be a great thing.
Trump Admin Seeks More Cuts From Federal Government Agencies
The U.S. government is entering a significant phase of transformation as President Donald Trump directs federal agencies to implement plans that could dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce and consolidate various government programs. This move, part of an effort to reshape the government’s structure, marks a critical turning point in how federal agencies operate and interact with the public.
On Wednesday, senior officials set the downsizing process into motion with a memo that expands upon Trump’s ongoing efforts to streamline the federal workforce, which has been viewed by the administration as a roadblock to achieving its policy goals. Thousands of probationary federal employees have already been let go, and now the administration is turning its focus toward career civil servants.
In a statement made during the first Cabinet meeting of his second term, President Trump emphasized the urgency of these efforts. “We’re cutting down the size of government. We have to,” Trump said. “We’re bloated. We’re sloppy. We have a lot of people that aren’t doing their job.” This rhetoric reflects the administration’s belief that the federal workforce has become inefficient, and that sweeping reforms are necessary to ensure the government operates more effectively and at a reduced cost.
Given the scale of the cuts being proposed, resistance is already mounting. Labor unions, Democratic state leaders, and various advocacy groups have worked to challenge the administration’s approach through litigation, with some success in slowing down the process. Don Moynihan, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan, cautioned about the long-term consequences of these cuts. “Once you do this damage, it’s going to be incredibly hard to rebuild the capacity of these organizations,” he said. “It’s not like you can turn the switch back on and everything is going to be the way it was before.”
In line with the downsizing effort, the administration has set a timeline for the next steps. Federal agencies are required to submit their plans for a reduction in force (RIF) by March 13. These plans will not only lay off employees but also eliminate positions altogether. While the memo did not provide specific targets for each agency, President Trump pointed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an example, suggesting that the agency could cut its workforce by as much as 65%.
In addition to laying off employees, agencies are also expected to submit further plans by April 14, outlining strategies for consolidating management structures, improving efficiency, and potentially relocating offices to lower-cost areas outside of Washington. The final deadline for implementation of these reforms is set for September 30.
Administration officials have framed this initiative as not only a cost-saving measure but also a way to achieve a more ideologically driven vision for government. In the memo issued by Russell Vought, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, and Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, the administration emphasized its critique of the federal government. “The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public,” the memo stated. “Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hard-working American citizens.”
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
