DOGE Moving On to Bigger Govt Targets

President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency reportedly now appears to be focusing on some of the government's largest initiatives after starting by identifying relatively small-dollar programs.

Tasked by Trump to find ways to streamline the bureaucracy and reduce spending, DOGE has identified and cut more than $1 billion in spending in the first three weeks of the second Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday night.

More than half of the savings DOGE says it has found is related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

So far, DOGE’s technology team has focused on "low-hanging fruit" at multiple agencies, the Journal said.

"Great coordination across 35 agencies over the last two days to terminate 199 wasteful contracts saving ~$250mm, including: -Contract for 'Asia Pacific - Sri Lanka climate change mitigation adaption and resilience coordinator services for forest service' -Workshop for 'Intercultural communication diversity dialogue circle communicating across differences,'" DOGE posted Friday night on X.

With Elon Musk's goal of finding $2 trillion in spending cuts, DOGE could uncover larger savings at some of the government's biggest programs, especially those focused on healthcare.

DOGE also is working with the General Services Administration, which manages government buildings and commercial real estate, to identify leases that can be canceled or let lapse, the Journal reported.

DOGE has run into opposition. One federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, pausing Trump's gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which the president said is rife with fraud, waste, and corruption.

Another federal judge issued an emergency order early Saturday blocking DOGE from accessing personal and financial data for millions of Americans stored at the Treasury Department.

The National Institutes of Health announced Friday that it is cutting billions of dollars in funding immediately for the "indirect" costs related to research, including for facilities and academic requirements.

With the Congressional Budget Office showing the federal government projected to spend $7 trillion in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, there's likely other areas for DOGE to probe.

Social Security payments account for roughly $1.6 trillion. Medicare is projected to cost $910 billion, with another $812 billion going toward Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and healthcare marketplace subsidies.

More than $850 billion is targeted for military spending, with another $950 billion in net interest payments on the debt. Education, housing, transportation and other programs combine for $1 trillion.

DOGE is supposed to present its recommendations to taxpayers on July 4, 2026.

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