U.S. federal spending up despite White House efforts to cut jobs: WSJ

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Despite the current U.S. administration's efforts to streamline the federal workforce, federal spending has in fact risen compared to the same period last year, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Friday.

A WSJ analysis, citing daily financial statements from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, shows that since Donald Trump took office in January, government spending has exceeded that of the former Biden administration during the same period in 2024 by 154 billion U.S. dollars.

The Trump administration -- particularly through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk -- has been cutting jobs and terminating contracts.

At Trump's cabinet meeting on Thursday, Musk said he expects DOGE will find 150 billion dollars in savings from "reduction of waste and fraud" in fiscal year 2026, far short of his earlier trillion-dollar goals.