Trump administration is outspending Biden admin despite DOGE efforts

• The Trump administration is outspending the Biden administration, according to new data compiled by the Hamilton Project. The data revealed the government spent $2.3 trillion as of April 11, while government outlays were at $2.15 trillion at the same date in 2024.
• The increase is due in part to increases in debt and government benefit payments. It shows how difficult it is for DOGE to make meaningful savings for American taxpayers.
• DOGE chair Elon Musk recently said he expects savings of $150 billion in fiscal year 2026, well short of their original goal of $1 trillion.

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Government data revealed the Trump administration spent more money in 2025 than the Biden administration did at the same point in 2024. The increase comes despite efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency to find $1 trillion in savings by Sept. 30. 

How much has the government spent?

According to the Hamilton Project, which has a real-time tracker using Treasury Department data, as of April 11, the government had spent nearly $2.3 trillion. On the same date in 2024, the government’s total outlays were $2.15 trillion. 

The federal government is currently operating on a continuing resolution, meaning this year’s budget is just about a copy and paste of last year’s. Cost increases for programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, along with additional interest payments on the national debt, attributed to the higher spending.

Approximately 73% of the government’s yearly expenditures are mandatory, or spending that is required by law on government benefits and debt payments. Just 27% is discretionary, meaning Congress can change the amount it spends each year on things like border security or the space program. 

What is DOGE doing?

According to DOGE’s tracker, which has been known to inflate the actual amount, the department has saved taxpayers $155 billion through asset sales, contract cancellations, layoffs and fraud elimination. 

At a recent cabinet meeting, Elon Musk appeared to drastically reduce DOGE’s stated goal of $1 trillion in savings to $150 billion for fiscal year 2026. 

“I’m excited to announce that we anticipate savings in FY26 from reduction of waste and fraud by $150 billion,” Musk said. “People ask me how are you going to find waste and fraud in the government, and I’m like, actually, you just go in any direction.”

Musk is a special government employee, which means, by law, the executive branch can only employ him for 130 days in a 365-day period. If his employment remains continuous, that means he would have to step down at the end of May. 

President Trump told Musk he hopes DOGE employees will stick around and maybe become permanent.