Trump Directs Agencies to Reveal Information on Wasteful Expenditures

On February 18, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing agencies to make information about wasteful spending more accessible, a step that has been described as improving government transparency.

“The American public has a right to understand how the federal government has squandered their hard-earned income.”

In response to perceived wasteful spending, the Trump administration has, primarily through audits conducted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), canceled funding for numerous programs and initiatives.

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Among the specific spending cuts made by the administration is a $50 million grant to an environmental organization that advocates for “climate justice travels through a Free Palestine” and a $1.5 million grant aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia’s workplace and business environments.

Following the order’s signing, Trump pointed out that Social Security payments have been issued to individuals too old to still be alive.

This included over 3.4 million payments to individuals aged 120 to 129, 121,000 payments to those listed between 160 and 169 years old, and 6,087 payments to recipients aged between 170 and 179.

“I haven’t met any of them, and if I did, I would bless them,” he remarked, adding, “I would worship the ground they walk on.”

The administration indicated in its fact sheet that it has eliminated $881 million in Department of Education contracts, which includes a $4.6 million contract aimed at facilitating Zoom and in-person conferences.

While addressing reporters, Trump mentioned other examples of what his administration considers wasteful expenditure, such as funding for voluntary medical male circumcisions in Mozambique, which amounts to “$10 million for circumcisions in another country,” and a $32 million allocation to the Prague Civil Society Center.