Donald Trump returned to the White House with promises to drastically cut government spending.
Yet, his administration’s costs in the first 100 days have stunned many observers.
Compared to the same period last year, the expenses are significantly higher. This praised quesyions about the effectiveness of his cost-cutting pledges.
Trump’s spending rises despite promises
Upon starting his second term in January, Trump vowed wholesale government reforms and budget cuts.
His actions included signing numerous executive orders—such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico and proposing to eliminate the Department of Education.
Notably, Trump appointed Elon Musk to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aiming to reduce unnecessary expenses.
The DOGE claims savings of \$170 billion through asset sales, contract renegotiations, fraud prevention, and workforce reductions.
The website said: ‘combination of asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions’.
However, these figures remain unverified and do not reflect overall government spending increases.
Trump’s first 100 days spending surpassed previous administrations
Data compiled by CBS News reveals that Trump’s administration spent $220 billion more in its first 100 days compared to Biden’s first 100 days last year.
This spending level is the highest in a decade. The only exception was in 2021, when Covid-19 relief efforts inflated expenditures across the board. Overall, the current spending marks a significant increase.
Additionally, major spending increases came from Medicare and Social Security benefits. This rose over $37 billion compared to the previous year.
Significant investments were also made in Treasury securities interest, Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture.
Public reaction and trump’s response to government spending increases
The public has reacted with surprise and skepticism.
One commenter on YouTube remarked, “So much for the government spending cuts.”
In response, Trump has implemented mass layoffs across multiple departments, including education, describing these firings as removing “fat” from a bloated government.
He stated in late March that the administration aims to retain only hardworking employees who support the country.
Trump said: “We’re getting down to a point we think probably over the next two or three months, we’ll be pretty much satisfied with the people that are working hard and want to be members of the administration and our country”.
Despite this, the spending data raises concerns. Many wonder if Trump’s administration can reconcile its cost-cutting promises with actual financial outcomes.
In summary, Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in office have seen government spending soar compared to last year.
Although the Department of Government Efficiency reports savings, overall expenses grew by hundreds of billions.