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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The Trump administration’s FY2026 budget request proposed steep reductions across non-defense federal programs, including at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and State. Separately, the administration reported eliminating many USAID programs, and DOGE said it terminated education-research contracts. These actions were not all ordered by Elon Musk, and a budget request is not a cut enacted by Congress. Here is what the cited proposals and actions covered—and what is known about funding Congress later approved.
Which agencies and programs were targeted in the FY2026 proposal?
On May 2, 2025, the White House proposed reducing non-defense discretionary spending by $163 billion, or 23 percent, compared with the FY2025 enacted level. That was the administration’s request for FY2026, not an across-the-board reduction that took effect automatically. Congress decides federal spending through appropriations.
The Associated Press’s 2025 summary of the White House request reported these proposed agency-level reductions:
| Agency or area | FY2026 proposal reported in 2025 | What the figure describes |
|---|---|---|
| Health and Human Services (HHS) | $33.3 billion reduction | A proposed reduction in the administration’s request, as summarized by The Associated Press; not a final enacted funding level. |
| Education Department | $12 billion reduction | A proposed reduction in the administration’s request, as summarized by The Associated Press; not a final enacted funding level. |
| State Department and international programs | 84 percent reduction | A proposed reduction reported by The Associated Press. The percentage refers to the proposal, not a verified reduction in final funding. |
The White House said it wanted to reduce or eliminate programs it opposed and consolidate some education grants. In its request, the administration said Title I funding for schools serving low-income students and funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) would be maintained. Those were commitments in the administration’s proposal, not evidence that every program or account would receive the same amount as before.
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What happened to USAID and foreign assistance?
In March 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration’s six-week review had eliminated 83 percent of USAID programs and that roughly 1,000 remaining programs would move under the State Department. These were the administration’s figures and description of its plan, as reported by The Associated Press; they should not be read as an independently verified count of permanently closed programs.
The agency changes also faced legal challenges. In March 2025, The Associated Press reported that a federal judge said the administration had overstepped by withholding billions of dollars Congress had provided for foreign aid. At that stage, the judge did not require the administration to revive every terminated program contract. A later Associated Press report described an appeals-court ruling that lifted an order blocking further DOGE activity at USAID, while disputes continued over dismantling the agency and handling congressionally mandated funding. These were distinct court proceedings; neither description alone establishes that every planned transfer or termination was final.
What changes did the State Department propose?
A State Department reorganization proposal reported by The Associated Press in May 2025 called for an 18 percent reduction in domestic staff, cuts to selected bureaus and offices, and transfer of some former USAID functions to State. It also proposed changes to refugee and migration work. The reported percentage was a proposed staffing reduction, not proof that the full reduction was carried out.
What did DOGE say it cut at the Education Department?
DOGE said it terminated 89 Institute of Education Sciences (IES) contracts worth $881 million, according to The Associated Press in 2025. IES collects education data and evaluates federal education programs; the affected contracts included research work. The $881 million is the reported value of the contracts, not a verified amount of cash saved. The Associated Press said it was unclear whether or how the work would be replaced.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Contract terminations are different from closing an agency or changing its entire budget. The Education Department’s legal authority and spending directed by Congress also constrain what officials can change unilaterally. A contract’s stated value does not by itself show how much would have been paid, how much was avoided, or whether replacement work created other costs.
Did Congress enact the proposed cuts?
Not all of the White House’s request should be treated as the final FY2026 budget. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported that full-year appropriations for the Labor, HHS, Education, and related-agency accounts covered in its report were enacted on February 3, 2026. For those covered accounts, CRS reported FY2026 totals of $13.7 billion for the Department of Labor, $116.4 billion for HHS, and $79.0 billion for Education, describing the year-over-year totals as near-flat.
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Those CRS totals apply to the accounts in that appropriations measure; they do not represent every source of funding for each department or all federal spending. Nor should they be directly compared with the White House’s proposed agency reductions as if the figures shared the same scope and baseline. The key distinction is that the May 2025 request showed what the administration asked for, while enacted appropriations determined the funding authority for the covered accounts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How much money did DOGE save?
DOGE’s website claimed about $215 billion in savings by the time of The Associated Press’s March 2026 review. That figure remained a claim, not an independently established net savings total: AP reported that watchdogs and other organizations could not determine how much had ultimately been saved or lost. Cato budget analyst Dominik Lett told AP, “we don’t know how much DOGE has saved.”
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The reported contract value at IES and the administration’s claimed DOGE-wide savings are different kinds of numbers. Neither alone accounts for actual payments avoided, transition or replacement costs, or other effects needed to calculate net savings.
How many federal workers left—and were the departures DOGE cuts?
The Office of Management and Budget reported that more than 260,000 workers left federal service in 2025 because of administration initiatives, according to The Associated Press in 2026. The figure covered several categories—including reductions in force, early retirement, deferred resignations, and a hiring freeze—so it was not a DOGE-only layoff count. AP also reported an analysis by Brookings senior fellow Elaine Kamarck that roughly 25,000 fired workers had been rehired. Departures therefore cannot be treated as the same thing as net staffing reductions or as a direct measure of savings.
How to tell a proposed cut from a completed one
- Budget request: A president’s proposal to Congress. It does not by itself change appropriations.
- Enacted appropriation: Funding authority passed through Congress and signed into law; check the fiscal year and the accounts covered.
- Program or contract termination: An administrative action affecting particular work. A contract’s stated value is not necessarily cash saved.
- Staff departure: A workforce count that may combine several initiatives and later rehires. It is not automatically a DOGE-only count or a net reduction.
- Agency restructuring or transfer: A proposed or ongoing administrative change is not the same as a legally final closure or completed transfer.
The examples above cover selected FY2025–FY2026 proposals and reported actions, not every agency or program affected. They do not establish a complete FY2027 agency-by-agency proposal or enacted-funding record.
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