Public Reacts to Financial Breakdown of Trump’s

Spending Soars Despite Promises to Cut
President Trump returned to office in January 2025 vowing to slash federal spending. Instead, a CBS News analysis shows that federal expenditures in his first 100 days rose by $220 billion compared to the same period in 2024 under President Biden. This makes it one of the largest spending surges in a decade, second only to 2021’s pandemic-related spike.

Main Drivers of Spending
Key areas driving the increase include Social Security and Medicare (+$37 billion), military spending, veterans’ services, and immigration enforcement. Interest on national debt also surged due to rate hikes. Trump’s “largest deportation campaign in American history” has added enormous costs. ICE has conducted at least 350 deportation flights, with costs per flight hour ranging from $8,577 to $27,000. Total annual deportation expenses could hit $88 billion. According to the American Immigration Council, “This would require the United States to build and maintain 24 times more ICE detention capacity than currently exists.”

Department of Government Efficiency
To cut costs, Trump formed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. DOGE claims $170 billion in savings from asset sales, contract cancellations, and workforce reductions. However, these figures remain unverified. “We’re getting rid of the fat that the country is riddled with,” Trump said, and suggested that more government layoffs are expected in the coming months.

Public and Political Reaction
The rising expenses have sparked criticism, as many see a contradiction between Trump’s promises and his actions. “So much for the government spending cuts,” one observer remarked. While some spending is mandatory, critics argue that the administration must do more to align its actions with its fiscal rhetoric. The next few months will determine whether these spending increases are short-term or the start of a longer trend.