A newly established Department of Government Efficiency has put a stop to several controversial overseas funding initiatives.
According to Breitbart News, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has prevented the allocation of millions in taxpayer dollars that were intended for various international programs, including social behavior modification projects in Uganda and Colombia.
The canceled initiatives included a $42 million grant to Johns Hopkins for behavior change research in Uganda and a $25 million project aimed at promoting biodiversity conservation and developing socially responsible behaviors in Colombia. These programs were part of a larger spending package that has now been terminated following DOGE's intervention.
The department's intervention extends beyond African and South American projects. A significant $520 million allocation for ESG investments in Africa through private sector consultants has been blocked. The funding cuts also affected a $69 million grant to the Eurasia Foundation for digital transformation activities in Europe.
Several legal and civic society programs faced similar scrutiny. The American Bar Association was set to receive $7 million for promoting resilience in the Eurasian legal sector. Additionally, $32 million earmarked for Internews programs supporting democracy and media accountability in Moldova has been canceled.
The World Economic Forum's allocation of $52 million was among the high-profile cancellations. These cuts align with DOGE's broader mission to eliminate wasteful government spending and improve fiscal responsibility.
DOGE maintains a regularly updated efficiency leaderboard that tracks savings across different government agencies. The Department of Education currently leads in total savings, followed by the General Services Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.
The State Department has shown the least improvement in spending efficiency. The National Institutes of Health and Department of Transportation round out the bottom three performers on the leaderboard.
These rankings are updated twice weekly, providing transparency into each agency's cost-cutting efforts and overall fiscal responsibility.
The department's website reports a total estimated savings of approximately $65 billion. These savings come from various initiatives, including fraud prevention, contract cancellations, and workforce reductions.
DOGE's official statement detailed the following: "US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled."
The cost-cutting measures encompass multiple strategies, from lease renegotiations to programmatic changes and regulatory adjustments. Each initiative undergoes careful evaluation to ensure maximum efficiency while maintaining essential services.
The Department of Government Efficiency has emerged as a pivotal force in restructuring federal spending patterns across international programs. The agency's intervention resulted in the cancellation of multiple overseas initiatives that would have cost American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. These spending reforms specifically targeted programs in Uganda, Colombia, and various European nations, preventing what DOGE determined to be potentially wasteful expenditures.
