What Is the Best Way to End Federal Overspending?

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help “end federal overspending” by cutting unauthorized expenditures or in unauthorized ways. Soon after Trump’s announcement, a coalition of Republican lawmakers began making plans. According to Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell at The Daily Signal, the coalition acted the day after the appointments of Musk and Ramaswamy. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, House Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith, Rep. Robert Aderholt, and Rep. Claudia Tenney led a bicameral letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office requesting a report on federal funding for abortion providers between fiscal year 2022 and 2024….

Smith said he hopes the requested report will help Musk and Ramaswamy defund Planned Parenthood….

The coalition of 112 Congress members requests reports on the federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates, International Planned Parenthood Federation, MSI Reproductive Choices, federally qualified health centers, and four domestic abortion providers, according to the letter shared with The Daily Signal.

“It is our hope that this report will provide greater insight as Congress considers funding levels and provides increased transparency and openness for our constituencies and the general public,” says the letter signed by 81 House members and 31 senators.

The Government Accountability Office has responded to several congressional requests with prepared reports on federal funding for abortion organizations. The most recent report revealed that the abortion industry had received almost $2 billion in federal taxpayer dollars between fiscal years 2019-2021.

The letter asks for the report to detail Planned Parenthood’s federal obligations, disbursements, and the expenditures of federal funds by each of the organizations; reported obligations, disbursements, and expenditures by program from federal agencies other than the Department of Health and Human Services; the funding sources for federal agencies and programs associated with these federal funds; how these funds were made available; and reported obligations, disbursements, and expenditures for the top 15 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services programs.

This week, an announcement was made that the national debt passed $36 trillion. One way to decrease the spending of the government is to reign in the authorized spending. Musk and Ramaswamy should have prime pickings as they look for ways that the government wastes money.