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The Department of Energy announced plans to cancel $124 million in wasteful spending after a review of cost-cutting actions under the Trump administration.
Energy Department Secretary Chris Wright and agency chief spokesperson Ben Dietderich first shared the news with Fox News Digital in a report released on Thursday.
“While some of the funds have already been obligated, we expect immediate savings of at least $65 million and more to come in the coming months and years. President Trump and Secretary Wright are fully committed to making government more accountable, efficient, and restoring proper stewardship of the American taxpayer’s dollars,” Dietderich said in a statement.
Wright shared additional details during a Wednesday interview on Fox Business’ “Varney & Company.”
“This [is] simply adding nothing of value to the American people,” Wright said.
“So we’ve cut out some needless expenditures, and we’re doing everything we can to become better stewards of American taxpayer moneys without sacrificing the DOE mission,” he continued. “In fact, we want to expand the DOE mission, but do it all at [a] lower cost and more efficiently. That’s how businesses run.”
The news comes after the White House released a memo on Tuesday entitled “Radical Transparency About Wasteful Spending” directed at the leaders of federal agencies.
“The United States Government spends too much money on programs, contracts, and grants that do not promote the interests of the American people. For too long, taxpayers have subsidized ideological projects overseas and domestic organizations engaged in actions that undermine the national interest,” Trump wrote in the memo.
“The American people have seen their tax dollars used to fund the passion projects of unelected bureaucrats rather than to advance the national interest. The American people have a right to see how the Federal Government has wasted their hard-earned wages,” he continued.
The memorandum called for ending programs and contracts as part of a sweeping effort to eliminate government waste and shrink the size of the federal government.
“I therefore direct the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to take all appropriate actions to make public, to the maximum extent permitted by law and as the heads of agencies deem appropriate to promote the policies of my Administration, the complete details of every terminated program, cancelled contract, terminated grant, or any other discontinued obligation of Federal funds,” Trump stated.
