by WorldTribune Staff, February 9, 2025 Real World News
In his effort to slash $2 trillion in government spending to help offset President Donald Trump’s tax cuts which many economists project spurring economic growth, Elon Musk has reportedly been sleeping in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) offices.
Musk recently said staff were working 120-hour weeks at the DOGE offices.
He also reportedly ordered several sleeping pods to be delivered to DOGE HQ for his team.
A budget watchdog group estimates Trump’s tax package could cost anywhere from $5 trillion to $11.2 trillion over the next decade.
The tax policies are expected to be included in a budget reconciliation package, which allows Repblicans to bypass the filibuster in the Senate, where they lack a 60-vote threshold.
“It is unclear at this time if the tax provisions will be passed in one large reconciliation bill or as part of a two-bill approach,” Just the News reported on Saturday.
According to the The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CFRB), extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Trump’s 2017 tax reform package, would cost between $3.9 trillion and $4.8 trillion. Expanding the State and Local Tax deduction (SALT) would cost from $200 billion to $1.2 trillion, the CFRB added.
Trump also has proposed endings taxes on tips; exempting overtime pay from federal taxes; exempting Social Security benefits from federal taxes; lowering taxes for U.S. production of certain goods; reducing tax benefits for stadium owners; and ending the carried interest loophole.
Trump said at a news conference at the White House on Friday that Musk and DOGE are going to find ways that the U.S. government can save money at the Department of Education as well as the Defense Department.
“Pentagon, Education, just about everything. We’re going to go through everything,” Trump said at a joint press conference at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Trump described the situation at USAID as “very unfortunate” and said most of the employees there have been dismissed.
“It was so bad, with what we just went through — with this horrible situation we just went through, and I guess 97% of the people have been dismissed,” Trump said. “It was very, very unfortunate. You’re not going to find anything like that, but you’re going to find a lot. And I’ve instructed him to go check out Education, to check out the Pentagon, which is the military. And you know, sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad.”
Just the News added: “House and Senate Republicans are still debating what spending cuts to include to offset the costs of the tax cuts in the full reconciliation package. House Speaker Mike Johnson had proposed about $700 billion in spending cuts but members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are advocating for more.”
President Trump on USAID: “It’s absolutely obscene… there’s nothing of value to anybody…and we’re going to be doing more and more…We’re going to be looking at the Department of Education, we’re going to be looking at our military…We’re talking about trillions of dollars.” pic.twitter.com/1ALz1DCcIx
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 7, 2025
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