Hard to see where all this will end.
Liz Truss effect.
Republicans in congress, many of whom lined up behind Trump, are pushing a budget increase.
But they will do it by passing tax cuts for the rich, and cutting services and other spending on the working class to the bone.
We're going to see a once-in-a-lifetime (or, luckily for us to date, even rarer) looting of the United States Treasury and our collective wealth, as well as that of our future generations. And, incredibly enough, we fucking voted for it!
Anyway, yes, they are going to cut spending, in ways that will damage and kill many people. And they'll do it while increasing the deficit.
With these projects, it's pretty easy to only count the victories, and not count the failures. They can say they saved "$10M saved on a canceled contract!!" but then happily omit the fact that they had to have a nearly identical contract a month later because it shouldn't have been canceled.
That's the only place that they'll make a dent in the spending side (since they won't touch military spending).
By stealing from the people, and killing old and infirm people, they'll save a little bit of money for sure.
Probably because the proposed budget plan will increase the deficit. Reducing revenue more than they're reducing spending, and reducing spending in areas that brought in more revenue than they cost.
And DOGE's savings (the ones that aren't just $0 savings) are targeted at things that won't actually improve anything. They amount to a drop in the bucket compared to where real savings could be had.
Monitoring of invasive species has been cut - how many new infections or local fisheries will suffer? Cuts to vaccine research. Supplying AIDS or TB medication. Are we losing food/drug/bridge inspectors as well?
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/natio...
The US has a tax problem with billionaires. We don't have a spending issue.
I'd warn you against trying to lump anyone in a party, or that generally votes for one party, under one big umbrella. I know republican voters that actually care about cutting the deficit. I also know republican voters that align that way for only one topic that matters most to them, abortion for example.
All republicans aren't the same just like all democrats aren't the same. For better or worse our system only really offers us two choices - that doesn't mean that there are only two types of Americans with one of only two specific set of views.
"Other than that Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?"
I think that might impact the tactics of the war, or how bloody it is, but I don't think it makes it less possible to happen.
It's dangerously possible, and it's a deep concern of mine that we're headed in that direction.
Also if you want a balanced budget then we should be protecting the actually effective parts of government instead. Lots of short sighted cuts and in the end we'll get even more debt anyway.
In the 90s we were able to make bipartisan cuts and turn a surplus but obviously they didn't do it by smashing things randomly.