President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doubling down on their efforts to cut federal spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
While their mission to streamline government spending has captured public attention, the harsh reality is that their budget-cutting ambitions may be impossible without targeting the very programs Trump has vowed to protect—Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and defense.
Despite celebrating minor wins, like canceling unnecessary contracts or cutting redundant government spending, their actions barely make a dent in America’s $36 trillion national debt. The interest alone on that debt—an astounding $3 billion per day—outpaces most of the savings DOGE has uncovered so far.
The Reality of U.S. Spending: Where the Money Actually Goes
To understand why balancing the budget is nearly impossible without touching popular programs, let’s break down how the federal government spends money:
- 60% goes to mandatory programs: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits, unemployment insurance, and food assistance (SNAP).
- 13% goes to defense spending.
- 13% covers interest payments on the national debt.
- 14% goes to discretionary spending—which covers everything from education to infrastructure, and is the only spending Trump’s team can realistically target without congressional approval.
In other words, without making major cuts to programs Trump has promised to leave untouched, there’s simply no mathematical path to balance the budget.
What DOGE Is Cutting—And Why It’s Not Enough
Musk’s DOGE team has made headlines for targeting seemingly absurd federal expenses, like:
- A $324,671 grant for pest management diversity training.
- A $3 million contract to write a report stating previous reports weren’t used effectively.
While these cuts make for great headlines, they’re financially insignificant in the grand scheme. In fact, nearly 37% of contracts canceled by DOGE so far didn’t save any money because the funds had already been spent or obligated.
Reality Check: Even the most extravagant examples of government waste amount to rounding errors compared to the trillions spent on entitlement programs, defense, and interest payments.
The Cuts That Trump and Musk Won’t Make
Trump has made clear that he won’t touch the programs that make up the bulk of U.S. spending:
- “Social Security won’t be touched,” Trump recently told Fox News.
- He’s also vowed to protect Medicare and Medicaid from cuts—except in cases of fraud.
However, to actually balance the budget, nonpartisan experts say:
- Roughly $2 trillion in cuts would be needed just to offset current deficit projections.
- This would require deep reductions in the programs Trump has promised to safeguard—cuts that would be politically devastating and economically disruptive.
Is DOGE Just a Political Tool?
While the idea of cutting government waste is popular (with 72% of registered voters supporting DOGE’s mission, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll), critics argue that Musk and Trump are using the program for political gain. Many cuts so far have disproportionately targeted:
- Programs supporting social welfare initiatives.
- Agencies and departments that Trump’s administration views as politically unfriendly.
Legal Battles: Several lawsuits are underway, with critics accusing the Trump administration of using DOGE to bypass Congress, which constitutionally controls federal spending decisions.
Balancing the Budget: Why It’s Nearly Impossible
Even if DOGE finds every possible instance of government waste, the reality of the U.S. budget remains daunting:
- Interest on the national debt alone costs nearly $3 billion a day.
- Eliminating discretionary spending entirely—cutting things like education, infrastructure, and housing—still wouldn’t close the gap.
- Trump’s promises of a “Balanced Budget” without cutting Social Security or defense spending are mathematically impossible under current projections.
What Experts Are Saying
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has expressed cautious support for DOGE’s goal of making the government more efficient but warns that targeting only small expenses won’t solve the broader problem:
“It’s not just about cutting the deficit—it’s about building the right policies, procedures, and the government we deserve.”
Meanwhile, critics argue that cutting programs like Medicaid—as some Republicans propose—would backfire politically, as millions of MAGA supporters also rely on government health benefits.
Steve Bannon bluntly admitted: “Medicaid is going to be a complicated one. You just can’t take a meat ax to it, although I would love to.”
