The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) recently announced $51 million in cuts from the U.S. African Development Foundation, with the money being used for various initiatives such as marketing shea butter, pineapple juice, and mango drying facilities. Examples of these initiatives include marketing 100% organic shea butter in Burkina Faso, investing in mango drying facilities in the Ivory Coast, and promoting pineapple juice in Benin. Other initiatives included increasing yogurt production in Uganda, establishing a business incubator for spa and wellness entrepreneurs in Nigeria, training farmers in Senegal to grow dragon fruit, and implementing a WhatsApp marketing chatbot in Kenya.
Led by Elon Musk, DOGE is a temporary organization within the White House that was created via executive order by President Donald Trump with the goal of optimizing the federal government, streamlining operations, and reducing spending. The agency was given 18 months to achieve these objectives. DOGE recently announced that it had saved the Coast Guard nearly $33 million by eliminating an ineffective IT program. The department is also responsible for ending 113 contracts valued at $4.7 billion, including a USDA consulting contract for climate change activities in Peru.
In addition to the cuts made to the U.S. African Development Foundation, DOGE has also slashed billions more in expenses by canceling questionable grants and contracts. This included terminating funding for alpaca farming in Peru and other questionable grants such as $10 million for gender equity in the Mexican workplace, $12.2 million for worker empowerment in South America, and $6.25 million for improving respect for workers’ rights in agricultural supply chains in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The department has also canceled various diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at federal agencies, consulting contracts, leases for underused federal buildings, and duplicate agencies and programs.
According to DOGE, as of Monday, the organization claims to have saved Americans $140 billion, which amounts to around $870 per taxpayer. This substantial savings has been achieved through a combination of cutting wasteful spending, terminating ineffective programs, and streamlining operations within the federal government. DOGE has been responsible for identifying and ending numerous contracts and grants deemed to be unnecessary or inefficient, leading to significant cost reductions that benefit American taxpayers. The organization’s efforts have been focused on promoting efficiency and effectiveness across various federal programs and initiatives to ensure that taxpayer funds are being used wisely and responsibly.
