Yet contrary to what Republicans have long claimed, a “leaner” government does not necessarily mean less debt, and the Republican Congress has made it known that they’re less interested in reducing budgetary expenses than they are in giving tax breaks to America’s richest people. Indeed, the new budget that the GOP is currently attempting to pass would add $3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, new estimates show. The way Republicans plan to pay for the renewal of Trump’s tax cuts is by making deep cuts to healthcare and anti-poverty programs that help millions of Americans (including many Trump voters) survive.

Using a simple and sweeping executive order, President Donald Trump has sought to further empower Elon Musk’s DOGE in its mission to gut the federal government. On Tuesday, Trump published yet another EO that enshrined DOGE’s authority to lay waste to the federal workforce, while also giving the organization broad new powers.