WASHINGTON (TNND) — In his first address of his second term to a joint session of Congress, President Donald Trump dedicated eight minutes to highlighting DOGE’s findings, citing examples such as “a billion dollars from HHS to provide free housing and cars for illegal aliens” and “8 million dollars for making mice transgender.”
Elon Musk, the mastermind behind DOGE was in attendance. Trump gave him a shoutout during the speech.
Trump used his time to list the findings of DOGE thus far. The claims include,
- $22 billion: Free housing & cars for illegal aliens
- $45 million: DEI scholarships in Burma
- $40 million: Social & economic inclusion of sedentary migrants
- $8 million: To promote LGBTQI+ in Lesotho
- $60 million: Indigenous & Afro-Colombian empowerment in Central America
- $8 million: To make mice transgender
- $32 million: Left-wing propaganda operation in Moldova
- $10 million: Male circumcision in Mozambique
- $20 million: An Arab “Sesame Street” program in the Middle East
- $1.9 billion: A decarbonization of homes committee run by Stacey Abrams
- $3.5 million: Consultant contract for lavish fish monitoring
- $1.5 million: To boost voter confidence in Liberia
- $14 million: “Social cohesion” in Mali
- $59 million: Illegal alien hotel rooms in New York City
- $42 million: Social & behavior change in Uganda
- $14 million: Improving public procurement in Serbia
- $47 million: Improving learning outcomes in Asia
- $101 million: DEI contracts at the Department of Education
Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin from Michigan was tasked with the opposition’s response to the speech. “Is there anyone in America who is comfortable with him and his gang of 20-year-olds using their own computers to poke through your tax returns, your health insurance, and your bank accounts?” Slotkin speculated. “We need a more efficient government. You want to cut waste, I’ll help you do it, but change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe.”
Meanwhile, conservatives in Congress are rallying behind DOGE, urging Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to resist adding any restrictions to DOGE in a spending bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown by March 14.
President Trump assured DOGE is “just getting started.” However, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against the Trump administration’s request to freeze $2 billion in payments for USAID, sending the case back to lower courts to decide when and how the payment should be made.