President Donald Trump's Cabinet members revealed their findings during a meeting at the White House on Monday, detailing numerous government contracts they deemed wasteful and fraudulent.
According to Fox News, Trump's administration, working alongside Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has identified and canceled billions of dollars worth of contracts, including a $300,000 program for "food justice" education and $830 million spent on basic surveys.
The cancellations came as part of a broader initiative to eliminate wasteful federal spending, with various department heads reporting significant findings during the Cabinet meeting. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the largest savings, with over $22 billion in canceled contracts, while Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins highlighted several controversial programs that were terminated.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins detailed multiple contracts that raised eyebrows during the review process. The department canceled two similar programs focused on food justice education for transgender and queer farmers, with one in San Francisco costing $300,000 and another in New York carrying a similar price tag. Officials questioned the necessity and effectiveness of these programs.
Rollins revealed that her department also eliminated a $600,000 contract from Louisiana studying transgender men's menstrual cycles. Another terminated contract involved research aimed at increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in pest management. These cancellations represented only a fraction of the hundreds of contracts identified as problematic.
President Trump expressed strong criticism of these programs during the meeting, characterizing them as examples of government waste and mismanagement. The administration's partnership with Elon Musk's DOGE team has proven instrumental in identifying these controversial contracts.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum shared his department's findings regarding a federal consulting group that managed contracts across multiple agencies. Burgum's statement about the $830 million survey contract drew particular attention from the president:
The survey was like 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper with ten questions that anyone's child in junior high could have put together, or AI could have done for free
The revelation about the simplistic nature of these expensive surveys prompted immediate action from the administration. Trump responded to these findings with clear disapproval, emphasizing the fraudulent nature of such contracts and praising the work of Musk and DOGE in exposing these issues.
Under Administrator Lee Zeldin's leadership, the Environmental Protection Agency emerged as the department with the largest financial impact in contract cancellations. The agency terminated $22 billion worth of contracts, including a $2 billion agreement with an NGO connected to Stacey Abrams that had received only $100 in funding during 2023.
Zeldin detailed how eight NGOs received $20 billion in total funding, with one organization receiving $5 billion after its former employee became director of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. These revelations highlighted potential conflicts of interest in contract allocation under the previous administration.
The EPA administrator praised the collaboration with DOGE and Elon Musk's team, crediting their expertise for enabling such thorough contract reviews. Zeldin emphasized his department's commitment to identifying every instance of wasteful spending, regardless of the amount involved.
President Trump and his Cabinet have uncovered billions in wasteful government spending through their partnership with Elon Musk and DOGE. The initiative has led to the cancellation of numerous contracts across multiple federal departments, with the EPA alone eliminating $22 billion in questionable agreements.
The systematic review continues to expose contracts deemed unnecessary or excessive, from multibillion-dollar arrangements with NGOs to smaller but equally controversial programs. Cabinet members remain committed to identifying and eliminating wasteful spending across all federal departments, with support from DOGE's expertise and analytical capabilities.
