Latest news with #governmentwaste
Fox News
20 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Evening Edition: President Trump Marks Six Months Into Second Term
President Trump has been in office for six months of his second term and it has become a much different presidency as he has been able to deliver on campaign promises, get his 'big beautiful bill' passed and has had major influence on the world stage. President Trump's second term has had a focus on the economy, cutting government waste and handling the border and illegal immigration in very aggressive ways. This week, President Trump will announce a new artificial intelligence initiative and a new executive order on the technology. FOX's Eben Brown speaks with Mark Meredith, White House correspondent, who says this administration has hit the ground running this time around and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Fox News
2 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Biden admin spent hefty sum of US tax dollars to upgrade embassy swimming pools in Iraq, Russia
The Biden administration's State Department authorized more than $1 million in taxpayer funds for renovating swimming pools at U.S. embassies and mission residences in war-torn countries such as Haiti, Sudan and Iraq, a report from Sen. Joni Ernst's office found. "The Biden State Department threw a blowout summer pool party on your dime," Ernst, R-Iowa, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "Bureaucrats might think wasting millions is a drop in the bucket, but I am sick and tired of taxpayers getting tossed in the deep end by Washington," Ernst added. "I will continue working with the Trump administration to put a stop to the splashy spending of the Biden years." Ernst's office found that the State Department under the Biden administration authorized that two pools in Haiti, five in Iraq, three in Sudan, one in Russia, one in Zimbabwe and one in Ghana be renovated, totaling more than $1.2 million, according to the New York Post, which first reported on the pool renovations on Thursday. Taxpayers spent $41,259 to rehabilitate the pool at the U.S. embassy in Moscow in a contract inked three months after Russia invaded Ukraine in a war that has continued raging. The purchase order was dated June 3, 2022, through Aug. 15, 2022, after the war began in February that same year. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad was awarded a whopping $444,000 to replace its indoor dehumidification system for its pool in a contract that began on Sept. 27, 2024. While the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, Iraq received over $10,000 to conduct mechanical repairs to its pool, according to the Ernst report reviewed by Fox News Digital. In Sudan, taxpayers spent $24,000 in 2021 for the installation of a pool deck. Sudan has notably been under a State Department do not travel advisory "due to armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping," with the embassy in Khartoum suspending operations in 2023 over the ongoing violent conflicts in the nation. Some of the contracts detailed in the report have not been fully paid out, such as a $173,000 award to conduct work on a swimming pool in Indonesia at the embassy in Jakarta. The federal government has previously been criticized for the amount of taxpayer funds spent on U.S. embassies overseas, including spending hefty sums on artwork under the Obama administration, Fox Digital reported at the time. U.S. embassies are primarily funded through congressional appropriations to the U.S. Department of State. Ernst's report follows months of the Department of Government Efficiency reporting it has saved the federal government billions of dollars amid its ongoing investigations into various federal agencies in search of corruption, overspending and mismanagement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been at the forefront of gutting departments and programs under State's purview, including shuttering USAID earlier in July for failing to ensure its programs actually supported America's interests. "This era of government-sanctioned inefficiency has officially come to an end. Under the Trump administration, we will finally have a foreign funding mission in America that prioritizes our national interests. As of July 1st, USAID will officially cease to implement foreign assistance. Foreign assistance programs that align with administration policies – and which advance American interests – will be administered by the State Department, where they will be delivered with more accountability, strategy, and efficiency," Rubio said in comment regarding shuttering USAID.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elmo and AIDS prevention: What is Congress targeting in their spending cuts?
Senate Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in spending cuts, targeting programs from PBS to global health initiatives, in response to a request from President Donald Trump. The proposal to claw back about $9 billion in federal funding reflects a portion of the cuts pursued by the Department of Government Efficiency, formerly spearheaded by billionaire and ex-adviser Elon Musk. The bill currently under consideration would impact the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and foreign aid agencies including the World Health Organization and U.S. Agency for International Development. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects the voting process to kick off in the evening of July 15, though a final decision would likely come late July 16 or even early the next day. Lawmakers have until July 18 before Trump's request officially expires and current funding remains in place. "I'm hopeful we'll have the opportunity to get on that bill and to do something meaningful when it comes to reducing the size and scope of the federal government, particularly in areas of our government where we know there is waste, fraud and abuse," Thune said in a press conference July 15. This new push for spending reductions comes on the heels of Congress' "big, beautiful bill" saga. Trump's sweeping tax, spending and policy package squeaked through the legislature just ahead of his self-imposed July 4 deadline. Broadcasting services squeezed Republican lawmakers are looking at codifying a sliver of the almost $200 billion DOGE claims to have saved the federal government. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said the amounts being slashed represent "wasteful and unnecessary spending," in the White House's formal request to Congress. That includes stripping a little more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Trump has set his sights on their recipient outlets NPR and PBS, accusing both of unfair news coverage. If Congress moves ahead on these cuts, local stations are expected to bear the brunt of lost funding. Sesame Workshop: Hacked Elmo X account posted 'disgusting messages' Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, had originally withheld support for the bill over the impact on public broadcasting, but he announced his change of mind July 15, after he said an agreement was reached to protect tribal broadcast services in his home state. Bulk of cuts hit foreign aid The legislation predominantly proposes cuts to foreign aid, including international peacekeeping efforts and certain global health initiatives. The Senate is set to remove one of the most controversial targets, though. Republicans including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine had criticized proposed rescissions for global AIDS prevention programs. Thune said Tuesday they plan to remove that $400 million cut, bringing the bill's total savings from $9.4 billion down to $9 billion and likely clearing one of the biggest hurdles for the upper chamber. "We hope that if we can get this across the finish line in the Senate that the House would accept that one small modification," Thune said. When will Congress move on the cuts? Some lower chamber lawmakers are already grumbling about the possibility of receiving a diluted version of the bill. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-South Carolina, told Politico he will not agree to "a penny less" than what the House originally approved back in June. Meanwhile, some Republican senators began the week saying they were still in search of details from the White House regarding exactly which programs and accounts would be touched before they could confidently back the bill. "It's important that we succeed on this package, because I hope this is just a warm up for what should be tens of billions of dollars worth of rescissions," Thom Tillis said July 15. "I think we need to get it right." Vought joined Senate Republicans for lunch later that day, and during that meeting Sen. John Hoeven R-North Dakota, said the OMB director provided more information about where cuts would be made. "Now, whether that meets the specificity that some members have asked for, I'm not sure," Hoeven told reporters. Vought, coming out of his lunch with lawmakers, said besides the AIDS prevention program exception, the bill is continuing on intact. "I think everyone involved wants a successful result," Vought said, adding. "We'll focus on the Senate right now, then we'll focus on it going back to the House." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about Congress' $9 billion proposed spending cuts
Wall Street Journal
6 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
The Fed Building Renovation at the Heart of Trump's Efforts to Oust Powell
Few people noticed when a former Federal Reserve economist published a report earlier this year about ballooning costs in the central bank's headquarters renovation. Months later, that obscure budget critique has become the centerpiece of President Trump's pressure campaign against Fed Chair Jerome Powell—and his potential attempt to remove him from office. Trump might lack the legal authority to fire Powell for not lowering interest rates, but his advisers are seizing on the $2.5 billion building project as the next best thing: a concrete example of government waste that could erode the public trust Powell needs to function effectively.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Dao Prize Announces New $30K Award for DOGE Reporting, Welcomes 2025 Guest Judge Vince Coglianese
The Dao Prize, recognizing excellence in investigative journalism, announces a new Special Annual Award for DOGE Reporting on government waste. 'For too long, the establishment media's prizes have awarded fundamentally flawed reporting, conspiracy theories, and even outright fakes designed to elevate narrative over truth.'— Geoff Ingersoll, NJC Director WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2025 / / -- The National Journalism Center (NJC) is excited to announce, as part of its Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism, a new Special Annual Award for DOGE Reporting on government waste in 2025. This new $30,000 award underscores the Dao Prize's commitment to recognizing impactful investigative journalism at all levels and across all platforms. NJC plans to select a new topic for the Special Annual Award each year based on prevailing news trends. Judged by the National Journalism Center's independent Board of Governors and a guest judge, entries will be evaluated on five key criteria: investigative depth, public interest, fairness and accuracy, style, and impact. This year, the National Journalism Center is pleased to welcome Vince Coglianese as a guest judge alongside the Board's other esteemed panelists. Vince Coglianese is the host of the nationally syndicated 'The VINCE Show' and editorial director of The Daily Caller. Coglianese also took over 'The Dan Bongino Show' podcast feed in 2025, relaunched as the 'VINCE' podcast and produced by Silverloch Productions. As an editor since 2010, Coglianese reported on and edited thousands of national news stories, breaking news on stories like the Congressional Baseball shooter and Hunter Biden's laptop. As a broadcaster, he's interviewed President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and countless members of Congress, among others. In addition to the Special Annual Award, the grand prize for investigative journalism is $100,000, with two runners-up receiving $10,000 each for the general prize. Winners of the subcategories in local and multimedia reporting will also receive a $10,000 prize. Open to all U.S. news outlets, including Substack pages, YouTube channels, and podcasts, the 2025 Dao Prize competition welcomes entries published between September 1, 2024, and August 18, 2025. Each outlet or journalist may submit unlimited stories or pre-defined series, with each entry eligible for the general prize and consideration in the local and multimedia categories. The National Journalism Center is currently accepting submissions for the 2025 Dao Prize. The application deadline is August 18, 2025. Click here for full eligibility guidelines and to apply. 'This expansion is the latest step forward in the fight to support independent, aggressive journalism. For too long, the establishment media's prizes have awarded fundamentally flawed reporting, conspiracy theories, and even outright fakes designed to elevate narrative over truth. The Dao Prize bucks that trend,' said Geoff Ingersoll, director of the National Journalism Center. 'The people in independent media ranks are often marginalized, scoffed at, or outright attacked as they report out the most impactful stories of our era. NJC is honored to partner with Dao Feng and Angela in recognizing these fearless storytellers.' About the Dao Prize: The Dao Prize, funded by the Dao Feng and Angela Foundation, is a series of annual awards recognizing excellence in investigative journalism that advances the public interest. Launched in 2023, the prize is administered by the National Journalism Center, a project of Young America's Foundation. Learn more at Spencer Brown National Journalism Center +1 703-318-9608 [email protected] Visit us on social media: LinkedIn Instagram Facebook X Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
