For all the negative headlines hating on President Donald Trump‘s Department of Government Efficiency, daily data from the Treasury Department have vindicated the president’s crusade against our obese federal budget. Even without the trillions of dollars expected to come with Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” the White House has slowed the growth of federal debt held by the public so dramatically that the total national debt has actually shrunk since Inauguration Day.
Admittedly, the $5.5 billion decline in a $26.2 trillion national debt is a drop in the bucket, but focusing specifically on the trajectory of the debt held by the public — that is, the majority of the national debt that is financed through the likes of Treasurys, rather than intragovernmental holdings, which is merely money one agency may owe another — we can see that the second Trump administration has indeed taken a machete to federal spending.
From Inauguration Day to May 5, debt held by the public rose by $37,238,323,646.66. Because this accounts for an influx of revenue around April Tax Day, the comparable window to compare Trump’s performance to that of his predecessor is not Trump’s first 104 days with the last 104 days of Joe Biden (when debt held by the public rose by $521,984,501,224.88), but to the same window in 2024.
From Jan. 22, 2024, to May 6, 2024, debt held by the public rose by $478,402,286,425.95.
Still, that means that the growth in our outstanding national debt fell by an astounding 92%.
Part of this is indeed due to the federal revenue generated by the early Trump business boom and the subsequent tariff regime, which may have scared markets but has slightly increased Uncle Sam’s coffers: Relative to the same 104 days in 2024, the federal government collected $21 billion more in corporate tax revenue, or a 15% increase, and nearly $6 billion in tariff revenue.
But a significant portion is due to early successes at slashing spending. While spending at the Department of Homeland Security, specifically for customs collections of tariff revenue and Border Patrol, is up $42 billion from the same period in the year prior, Education Department spending was down 13%, international aid was down 42%, and some entire line items in the federal budget, such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, were completely defunded.
Furthermore, despite left-wing panic over Trump’s attempts to downsize the IRS, with claims that tax receipts could fall as much as 10% by the end of the tax filing season, payroll taxes and entitlement taxes from self-employed workers were up more than $100 billion in this 104-day window compared to the same period in 2024. In other words, overall tax collections are up despite nearly 1 in 3 IRS agents getting gutted by DOGE and no actual increase in tax rates themselves.
There are a couple of crucial caveats here: Obviously, slowing the growth of our outstanding public debt by 92% is like decelerating your car while you still drive in the direction of a cliff. And while DOGE succeeded at slashing a large share of the discretionary spending the president may legally impound, any systemic spending cuts must be authorized by Congress, meaning that most discretionary spending will still continue to rise until Congress passes lasting reforms with the “one big, beautiful bill.” And none of this is to mention the mandatory spending entitlements that neither Trump nor congressional Republicans nor congressional Democrats want to touch.
But Trump should indeed tout this data to the effect of two crucial points: First, Trump is taking his war on waste seriously, within the narrow legal parameters he is actually allowed to operate. This marks a paradigm shift from the disastrous tenure of Biden, who continued to triple down on his spending sprees on his way out of office. But second, all of Trump’s efforts are for naught unless Congress does its part and helps codify not just what Trump and DOGE have already done but also the trillions in waste to come to the ax of “one big, beautiful bill.”
Q
May 11, 2025, 05:33 AM
tleddy
Reference- all news services
New Jersey Mayor arrested trying to enter ICE Facility, accompanied by Demorat Congress Creatures! DHS released body camera footage showing the confrontation, including the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and interactions with Democratic lawmakers. This footage reportedly shows Rep. LaMonica McIver pushing and elbowing ICE officials as they attempted to secure the gate.
The lawmakers involved are Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver, all Democrats from New Jersey.
My opinion - treat them like Jan 6 people were treated!
They, like the spitting woman, have TDS Transference and need to pay the price for assaulting Federal Officials!
No quarter .308/.223
May 11, 2025, 06:35 AM
wrightd
quote:
Originally posted by parabellum: The opening segment of tonight's Life, Liberty and Levin. Well worth the watch.
[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ftxVY75sXVs" title="Mark Levin: Trump is ‘kryptonite’ to the DC establishment" width="640"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]
That was good Para, thanks.
Lover of the US Constitution Wile E. Coyote School of DIY Disaster
I know a die hard liberal who drives a Tesla who absolutely shuts the fuck up when we bring up the fact his car is from an African American.
And no, he won’t get rid of his Tesla.
_____________
May 11, 2025, 09:31 AM
Patriot
quote:
Originally posted by tleddy:
The lawmakers involved are Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver, all Democrats from New Jersey.
LaMonica…
Watson-Coleman…
No need to even say Democrat…
_____________________________ Pledge allegiance or pack your bag! The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher Spread my work ethic, not my wealth
May 11, 2025, 11:06 AM
Cookster
quote:
Originally posted by Edmond: I know a die hard liberal who drives a Tesla who absolutely shuts the fuck up when we bring up the fact his car is from an African American.
And no, he won’t get rid of his Tesla.
Ask your friend if their Tesla prefers electricity generated from nuclear, natural gas, oil, or coal fired power plants.
__________ "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."
President Donald Trump announced on Friday revealed plans on Friday to create the National Center for Warrior Independence at the West Los Angeles VA Campus. This new initiative is aimed at offering critical support and housing for homeless veterans. Trump also directed that money originally set aside for services and housing for illegal immigrants be reallocated to help America's veterans instead. The White House said its goal is to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans at the center by 2028.
“During my first term, I signed legislation to increase accountability and expand benefits and choices for veterans in accessing care, and my second term will build on those efforts,” Trump said in a statement. “The VA campus in West Los Angeles will become the National Center for Warrior Independence with facilities and resources to help our veterans earn back their self-sufficiency.”
Los Angeles is home to around 3,000 homeless veterans, representing roughly 10 percent of the nation’s entire homeless veteran population — the highest number of any city in the United States.
Trump’s order insists that veterans are essential to America’s safety and freedom, yet many face homelessness and lasting injuries. The president’s order criticizes past government failures in supporting veterans, particularly under the previous administration, accusing it of neglect and mismanagement. The order also notes that West Los Angeles VA Medical Center was originally donated to house disabled veterans, once serving thousands with extensive facilities. However, over the years, the federal government has let it fall into disrepair, reflecting a broader failure to properly care for veterans.
“The new National Center for Warrior Independence will help them and other veterans like them rebuild their lives," the White House said in a statement. “The Center will promote self-sufficiency through housing, substance abuse treatment, and support for productive work for the veterans housed there.”
The order will direct HUD to use housing vouchers for homeless veterans and tasks the VA with restoring accountability, including disciplining those involved in misconduct and reviewing Biden-era decisions to rehire and compensate previously dismissed employees. It will also guarantee veterans more access to care, benefits, and services — including shorter wait times for VA appointments by offering expanded hours, weekend availability, and more virtual healthcare options.
I have been thinking the same thing for a while - everyone pays for the R&D, and other countries can't demand a lower price that doesn't cover R&D. Equal pricing for all 1st world countries at least. Perhaps some exceptions for developing countries.
