Even with DOGE cuts, the US has spent $166 billion more than last year

Even as President Donald Trump and the efficiency-geared US DOGE Service seek to cut programs and dramatically reduce the size of the government workforce, the federal deficit increased by $196 billion so far this fiscal year, as spending on social safety-net services and defense programs continue to climb.

The government spent $342 billion more in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 than it did in the same period during the previous fiscal year, the Congressional Budget Office, lawmakers’ nonpartisan bookkeeper, reported Thursday. It also brought in $146 billion more, including a 7 percent boost in individual income tax that far outpaced officials’ projections.