EDITORIAL: Government spending UP under Trump, DOGE a pathetic failure

The illusion of fiscal responsibility under Trump’s second term

Government spending is up—way up—under Donald Trump. That may sound surprising if you've been listening to the rhetoric coming from the right. You've likely heard the endless talk about “draining the swamp,” about finding efficiencies, cutting pork, and slashing government bloat. That’s the illusion. The reality? Trump’s government has already spent $166 billion more this year than we had at this point last year under President Joe Biden. And this comes even with the so-called “efficiency” crusade led by DOGE—Trump’s flashy, Elon Musk-backed experiment in gutting the public sector.

So what happened? If DOGE is cutting services, pushing out workers, slashing federal programs—how is spending still skyrocketing? Well, let’s look at where the money’s going. Military spending alone is up $39 billion year over year. Remember when some on the left and even a few on the right suggested Trump might cut military spending? Never happened. Meanwhile, immigration and border enforcement have seen an $18 billion bump. Even if you think that’s a good investment, it blows a hole in Trump’s promise to reduce the deficit.

Then there’s Social Security and Medicare, up $70 billion. That’s not because of mismanagement—it’s because Baby Boomers are retiring and claiming the benefits they’ve earned. Cutting these isn’t politically viable, nor is it ethically justifiable. But the costs are real, and they’re growing.

This isn't complicated math. Trump is cutting small, inconsequential programs—$30,000 diversity initiatives, AmeriCorps, Meals on Wheels—while pouring billions into militarization and deportation. At the same time, he’s doing nothing to curb the big-ticket items, which continue to expand. So when Republicans say they’re cutting waste, what they mean is they’re cutting the stuff that helps people, not the stuff that actually costs the most.

Now let’s talk about DOGE. This was supposed to be Trump’s government efficiency machine, a Silicon Valley-style disruption of bloated bureaucracy. Instead, it was theater. Most of the so-called “cuts” were either fake—typos blown up into press releases—or rebranded Biden-era reductions. DOGE wasn’t fixing anything. It was sabotaging oversight, defunding watchdogs, and eliminating regulators that were inconvenient for Elon Musk and his allies.

It was never about money. The real purpose of DOGE was power. It was about giving Elon and his orbit control over the levers of government. They didn’t even try to hide it. Once their goals were achieved—neutralizing investigations, blocking lawsuits, seizing control of key systems—Musk stepped back, his mission accomplished. And DOGE? It’s winding down. The damage, however, is done.

We’re talking about deep sabotage. DOGE embedded operatives in agencies like the Treasury, IRS, and Medicare. They replaced hardware, restructured platforms, and introduced so-called “efficiency upgrades.” But what they really did was create long-term vulnerabilities. These systems will be compromised until at least 2029. This wasn’t modernization. It was about gaining access—and control.

Notice what DOGE didn’t touch: the Pentagon, Border Patrol, military contractors. They left the F-35 program alone but went after NASA and public health systems. That tells you everything you need to know. This was never about cutting waste. It was about seizing influence and weakening institutions that hold the powerful accountable.

And now, with oversight gutted and spending still up, Trump and Republicans are pushing their next big scam: the “big beautiful” tax bill. It’s the sequel to Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, but this time they want to make them permanent. The 2017 cuts, you’ll recall, were designed to sunset—temporary budget trickery to hide the long-term cost. Now they want to add trillions to the deficit by locking those giveaways in for good.

Trump came into office promising to run government like a business—efficient, lean, smart. Instead, he’s spent more than Biden, gutted accountability, and handed over control of key systems to a billionaire with a vested interest in dodging scrutiny. The cuts were fake. The purpose was real: consolidate power, reward allies, and kneecap regulation.

The next phase—if we don’t stop it—is permanent tax cuts for the rich, more weakened oversight, and deeper entrenchment of corruption. This isn’t fiscal responsibility. It’s a heist. And unless we call it what it is, and unless more people—especially former Trump voters—step up to stop it, the bill will keep growing, and the damage will take generations to undo.