So far, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made significant cuts and taxpayer savings, including over $1 billion in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) contracts, $6.5 billion in reductions from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), $502 million from the Education Department, and savings across several other departments such as Social Security, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services. Additionally, DOGE has laid off thousands of federal employees, terminated over 1,100 contracts, and restructured various government programs. And now, DOGE is considering sending a $5,000 check to every American as part of its efforts to provide financial relief to taxpayers.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created through an executive order by President Donald Trump, is tasked with reducing U.S. government spending and improving efficiency. Operating as an advisory body, DOGE aims to streamline operations, particularly in government IT systems, and save taxpayers money. Musk’s team has focused on eliminating wasteful practices, including cutting over $1 billion in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) contracts, reducing the size of the federal workforce, and challenging agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to reallocate resources more effectively.

In the first month of Trump’s administration, DOGE implemented significant workforce reductions, laying off thousands of federal employees, including probationary workers. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs dismissed over 1,000 employees, while the Education Department fired at least 39 staff members and cut nearly $900 million from the Institute of Education Services. Other agencies, including Homeland Security, and Energy, also made cuts. At the Department of Health and Human Services, about 1,300 employees were laid off, including a large portion of the workforce at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, Trump’s administration removed at least 17 inspectors general, a move criticized by Democrats, and fired career prosecutors in the Department of Justice. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was essentially shut down, and foreign aid programs like those run by USAID were paused, leading to further layoffs.

DOGE claims to have saved $55 billion in federal funds, with $8.6 billion of this coming from cutting 1,127 federal contracts across 39 agencies. However, the total savings and specifics are difficult to verify as only a portion of the data has been disclosed. Additionally, DOGE has reported savings from fraud detection, asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, program changes, and regulatory savings. Among the disclosed cuts are $6.5 billion from USAID, $502 million from the Education Department, and further reductions in Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Social Security.

On February 12, The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee’s inaugural hearing revealed significant waste, fraud, and improper payments across federal agencies, which collectively cost taxpayers billions of dollars annually. The Subcommittee, in partnership with DOGE, is working to improve payment systems, close loopholes, and implement better identity verification and auditing processes to eliminate fraud. Expert witnesses, including Dawn Royal and Haywood Talcove, emphasized the importance of eliminating self-attestation, using advanced technology for identity verification, and enforcing continuous auditing to prevent fraud. They highlighted the low investment in fraud prevention within programs like SNAP, where less than 1/20th of 1% of the budget goes toward detecting and prosecuting fraud.

One of the most alarming findings was the fraud rate in the public sector, which is around 20%, compared to the private sector’s 3%, largely due to outdated tools and processes. The committee outlined measures to curb fraud, such as eliminating self-attestation in welfare programs and implementing the National Accuracy Clearinghouse to prevent duplicate participation in social welfare programs. Additionally, the committee explored the impact of policy decisions made by the Biden administration, which some argue have exacerbated improper payments, leading to billions of taxpayer dollars being funneled into wasteful or fraudulent programs.

A key part of the committee’s efforts to address this problem is the Department of Government Efficiency’s push to modernize the 1974 Privacy Act, allowing for the use of AI and other advanced technologies to improve payment systems. These reforms aim to reduce improper payments, which have reached a staggering $2.7 trillion since 2003. The committee also examined how improper payments have contributed to funding left-wing activism and organizations, fueling concerns that taxpayer dollars are being misused to support partisan causes. With the DOGE’s ongoing work, there is a significant push to hold the federal bureaucracy accountable and ensure more efficient use of public funds.

The administration’s efforts to reduce federal spending also include a proposed $5,000 “DOGE Dividend” check to American taxpayers. This payout, more than double the average tax refund, could provide significant financial relief to households, especially since 70% of American households are financially unhealthy. While the proposal has sparked concerns among Democrats about inflation, it offers a contrast to previous government spending, which has focused on increased debt and funding programs for non-citizens and individuals not working. Given the amount of money already allocated to such programs, it would be refreshing for taxpayers to receive a return for the funds they’ve contributed to the system.

The post Cutting Waste and Uncovering Corruption: What’s Not to Love About DOGE appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The Department of Justice under President Trump has determined that the multiple layers of removal restrictions shielding administrative law judges (ALJs) are unconstitutional.

The DOJ has concluded that current laws make it too difficult for the government to remove ALJs from their positions. These laws require multiple steps and layers of approval before an ALJ can be fired, which limits the President’s power.

ALJs in the United States are supposed to be “impartial officials” who preside over administrative hearings within federal agencies. They operate within the executive branch, not the judicial branch.

A letter from Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) outlined the DOJ’s stance, explaining that restrictions preventing the removal of ALJs under 5 U.S.C. 1202(d) and 7521(a) are unconstitutional under Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

5 U.S.C. 1202(d) states, “Any member may be removed by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”

5 U.S.C 7521(a) states, “An action may be taken against an administrative law judge appointed under section 3105 of this title by the agency in which the administrative law judge is employed only for good cause established and determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board on the record after opportunity for hearing before the Board.”

The DOJ’s position aligns with the Supreme Court’s 2010 Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Bd. decision, which struck down similar “multilayer protection from removal” for executive officers. The Court ruled that such barriers were an unconstitutional infringement on the president’s authority to oversee executive officers.

In the DOJ letter, Harris referenced this ruling, emphasizing that removal restrictions preventing ALJs from being held accountable create an unconstitutional chain of protection, limiting the president’s ability to ensure executive officials serve the public interest.

The DOJ has also announced it will no longer defend these removal restrictions in court, a major policy shift.

The letter reads:

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 530D, I am writing to advise you that the Department of Justice has concluded that the multiple layers of removal restrictions for administrative law judges (ALJs) in 5 U.S.C. 1202(d) and 7521(a) violate the Constitution, that the Department will no longer defend them in court, and that the Department has taken that position in ongoing litigation. See 2/11/25 Letter, Axalta Coating Systems LLC v. FAA, No. 23-2376 (3d Cir.).

In Free Enterprise Fund v. PCAOB, 561 U.S. 477 (2010), the Supreme Court determined that granting “multilayer protection from removal” to executive officers “is contrary to Article Il’s vesting of the executive power in the President.” Id. at 484.

The President may not “be restricted in his ability to remove a principal [executive] officer, who is in turn restricted in his ability to remove an inferior [executive] officer.” Ibid.

A federal statute provides that a federal agency may remove an ALJ “only for good cause established and determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board on the record after opportunity for hearing before the Board.” 5 U.S.C. 7521(a).

Another statute provides that a member of the Board “may be removed by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” 5 U.S.C. 1202(d).

Consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Enterprise Fund, the Department has determined that those statutory provisions violate Article II by restricting the President’s ability to remove principal executive officers, who are in turn restricted in their ability to remove inferior executive officers.

Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance in this matter.

Today, the Department of Justice determined that multiple layers of removal restrictions shielding administrative law judges (ALJs) are unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/lcfPskwkQq

— Chad Mizelle (@ChadMizelle47) February 21, 2025

More from far-left New York Times:

The Trump administration told Congress on Thursday that it believed President Trump had the constitutional power to summarily fire administrative law judges at will, despite a statute that protects such officials from being removed without a cause like misconduct.

The move was the latest step in the administration’s unfolding assault on the basic structure of the federal government and on Congress’ power to insulate various types of executive branch officials in sensitive positions from political interference from the White House. The Trump administration disclosed its approach in a letter from Sarah M. Harris, the acting solicitor general.

Administrative law judges preside over administrative hearings in executive branch agencies. They are executive branch officials, not life-tenured members of the judicial branch, but they still perform judges’ role, including by administering oaths, taking testimony, ruling on evidentiary questions, and making factual and legal determinations.

Examples of such officials include Social Security Administration judges who handle disputes about disability and retirement benefits; National Labor Relations Board judges who resolve unfair labor practice cases; and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission judges who hear disputes about matters like electric utilities and regional grids.

To insulate the officials from political interference, Congress enacted a statute that says disciplinary action, including firings, may be taken against such judges “only for good cause established and determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board on the record after opportunity for hearing before the board.”

The post Trump DOJ Declares Multi-Layered Protections for Administrative Law Judges Unconstitutional, Dismantling Longstanding Shield for Unelected Bureaucrats appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has turned into a ‘persona non-grata’ for the administration of Donald J. Trump.

First, Zelensky turned back on the agreed proposal about sharing rare earth elements with the US as repayment for military aid, mistreating the Treasury Secretary. Then, he took it upon himself to lambast Trump’s emissaries for meeting Russian diplomats without a Ukrainian presence.

Finally, the former comedian accused Trump of living in a Russian ‘disinformation bubble’.

Trump is not one to stand for such behavior, and blasted Zelensky as a ‘Dictator’ who lured his country into an unwinnable war and ‘played Joe Biden like a fiddle’.

One source familiar with the White House’s reasonings tole the New York Post:

“’It’s nothing new to me. I heard months ago it’s time for an election and new leadership’, added this person, who said the public breakdown was a long time coming and that anti-Zelensky feeling is widespread within the West Wing.

A second source close to Trump concurred with the assessment and suggested that ‘the best case for [Zelensky] and the world is that he leaves to France immediately’.”

Read: Zelensky Launches PR Offensive, Accuses Trump of Living in a Russian ‘Disinformation Bubble’ – Trump Issues Savage Response, Calls Him a ‘Dictator’!

While there are people in the White House who still have a ‘traditional’ (uninformed) view on Zelensky, they have no access to decision-making. Even Mike Waltz has aligned himself with Trump’s unfavorable view of ‘Ze’.

“’President Trump is obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelensky’, Waltz said Thursday at a White House briefing, where he appeared to indicate a slowdown in arms transfers was taking place, after a Ukrainian parliamentarian claimed ‘the weapons that were going to be sold have stopped being supplied’.

‘Trump’s administration obviously doesn’t like Zelensky and does everything to let everyone know that’, said a Ukrainian political analyst and active-duty soldier who asked not to be identified by name. ‘Recent remarks by the US president show that he wants Ukrainian elections ASAP and Zelensky replaced by someone more negotiable. This can be some who Trump and his allies trust: Military leader or businessman’.”

The Presidential elections in Ukraine were ‘postponed’ due to the state of martial law, giving Zelensky an absurd open-ended mandate.

“Zelensky has also vulgarly disparaged other leading conservative critics of his government — saying this month that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, a major outside ally of Trump’s, should ‘stop licking’ Putin’s ‘ass’.”

VP Vance has stated that Ukraine wouldn’t exist without the generosity of the people of the United States of America. So, he should say ‘thank you’.

Trump manifested his outrage that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was turned away in Kiev – in a menacing tone.

“’We had a deal’, Trump said during remarks at a Saudi-backed investment conference in Miami. ‘We had a deal based on rare earth and things, but they broke that deal… they broke it two days ago. I’m going to resurrect it or things are not going to make him too happy’, Trump told reporters on Air Force One.”

Read more:

While the Zelensky Regime Throws a Tantrum Over Trump, Ukrainian Top Spy Budanov Says a Ceasefire With Russia Will Happen This Year

The post Zelensky Has NO Friends in Trump Team, They Want Him Gone – ‘Best Case is He Leaves to France Immediately’ – NYP appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday his intention to personally inspect the United States’ gold reserves housed at Fort Knox.

This announcement comes amid growing speculation regarding the actual contents of the United States Bullion Depository.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has called for a long-overdue audit of the U.S. gold reserves at Fort Knox—reportedly something that hasn’t happened in nearly 50 years.

The demand comes as concerns grow over whether the 4,580 tons of U.S. gold supposedly stored in Fort Knox still exist or if bureaucrats and the Federal Reserve have been engaging in financial sleight-of-hand behind closed doors.

The call for transparency gained momentum when conservative news outlet Zero Hedge sparked debate on X, posting: “It would be great if @elonmusk could take a look inside Fort Knox just to make sure the 4,580 tons of US gold is there. Last time anyone looked was 50 years ago in 1974.”

Musk quickly responded: “Surely it’s reviewed at least every year?”

To which Rand Paul fired back with a truth bomb: “Nope. Let’s do it.”

Nope. Let’s do it. https://t.co/4sgVpaCwwz

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) February 16, 2025

Elon Musk, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), suggested a live-streamed audit of the Fort Knox reserves during CPAC.

“There’s like 5000 tons of gold in Fort Knox. We all want to see it. This is your gold by the way. It’s the public’s gold… I don’t know if it is there. We just want to see it and make sure someone didn’t spraypaint some lead or something… Part of this is also let’s have some fun and it’s the public’s gold so we have a right to see it.”

The ratings on a live broadcast of Fort Knox would be https://t.co/wKtKS7zHlt

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 21, 2025

Looking for the gold at Fort Knox … pic.twitter.com/YVGQvBfwVt

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 17, 2025

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, President Trump stated, “We’re going to go into Fort Knox to make sure the gold is there. We hope everything is fine with Fort Knox, but we’re going to go into Fort Knox, the fabled Fort Knox, to make sure the gold is there.”

When questioned about the possibility of the gold being absent, he added, “If the gold isn’t there, we’re going to be very upset.”

WATCH:

A livestream of Fort Knox would be
pic.twitter.com/hFJXMnEjvy

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2025

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has sought to quell the burgeoning speculation.

In a recent interview, Bessent claimed that there’s an audit every year and that all the gold is present and accounted for.

“I can tell the American people on camera right now, there was a report, September 30th, 2024, all the gold is there. Any US senator who wants to come and visit it can arrange a visit through our office,” Business Insider reported.

The post Pres. Trump Announces Plan to Inspect Fort Knox Gold Reserves to ‘Make Sure the Gold is There” — Musk Suggest to Do Livestream appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Three buses exploded in central Israel on Thursday in what authorities are calling a “suspected terror attack.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded swiftly, ordering an “intense military operation” in the West Bank to root out terrorist networks responsible for the attack.

Israeli police confirmed that three explosive devices detonated, while two additional bombs failed to go off.

The buses, located in a parking lot in Bat Yam and Holon, south of Tel Aviv, were not in service at the time, miraculously preventing mass casualties, according to The Time.

However, intelligence suggests the terrorists had intended for the bombs to detonate on Friday when the buses would have been packed with passengers.

Each device was equipped with a timer, and one bore a message in both Hebrew and Arabic: “Revenge from Tulkarem,” a reference to a recent Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, according to the Times of Israel.

The news outlet reported:

Tel Aviv District police chief Haim Sargarof says that five identical explosive devices that either detonated or were disabled this evening had timers and that the attack “looks like something [that originated] in the West Bank.”

He says the bombs appear to be makeshift.

Sargarof tells reporters that police have concluded their searches of buses and trains. He adds that police are still trying to figure out how many suspects were involved in the presumed terror attack.

He adds that a suspect who has been identified in social media posts is, in fact, “an innocent man” who has nothing to do with the incident.

Sargarof dodges questions when asked how it could be that multiple devices were planted on buses without those responsible attracting any suspicion. He says that the IDF is responsible for the West Bank, and the Shin Bet is responsible for preventing terrorism.

Reports have said the devices were intended to detonate tomorrow when the buses were in service.

In response to the attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with top security officials. He directed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to initiate an “intensive operation” targeting terrorist hubs in the West Bank.

Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed this directive, instructing the IDF to escalate operations specifically in the Tulkarem refugee camp and other areas within Judea and Samaria.

“Following the attempt to perpetrate a chain of mass bus bombings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just completed a security assessment with the Defense Minister, the IDF Chief-of-Staff, the ISA Director and the Israel Police Inspector General,” according to the statement.

“The Prime Minister has ordered the IDF to carry out an intensive operation against centers of terrorism in Judea and Samaria. The Prime Minister also ordered the Israel Police and the ISA to increase preventative activity against additional attacks in Israeli cities.”

The Prime Minister has ordered the IDF to carry out an intensive operation against centers of terrorism in Judea and Samaria. The Prime Minister also ordered the Israel Police and the ISA to increase preventative activity against additional attacks in Israeli cities.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) February 20, 2025

The Time of Israel reported:

The IDF says it is investigating this evening’s bus bombings in Bat Yam and Holon jointly with the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police.

Following a fresh assessment, the military says its counterterrorism operation in the West Bank will continue and will be focused on specific areas per the findings of the investigation.

Additionally, the IDF says it has blocked several checkpoints leading into the West Bank in specific areas, and will ramp up activities in the so-called seam zone, the area between the Green Line and Israel’s West Bank barrier.

The post Three Buses Explode in Israel in Suspected Terror Attack Prompting “Intense” Military Operation in West Bank appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.