President Donald Trump has created a private advisory group called the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) in an attempt to rein in federal spending, which reached $6.75 trillion in the last fiscal year. However, D.O.G.E has no actual power and can only make suggestions to Congress. The majority of federal spending is mandatory, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and interest payments on debt, which make up three-quarters of the budget and are untouchable. Discretionary spending and federal employee pay and benefits are potential targets for cuts, but they only make up a small portion of the budget. The U.S. also faces a significant debt problem, with a budget deficit representing 6.4% of the GDP and a total debt of $33 trillion. Critics question the ability of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are leading D.O.G.E, to navigate the complexities of the federal budget and garner public support for their efforts. Overall, D.O.G.E faces significant challenges in making meaningful cuts to federal spending.



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