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IRS Predicts DOGE Lost Half a Trillion Dollars for the USA (talkingpointsmemo.com)

submitted 6 days ago by PortoPeople@lemm.ee to c/politics@lemmy.world

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[-] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 167 points 6 days ago

[-] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 39 points 6 days ago

IN A MONTH.

4 years of months left to go.

Maybe next time people can get off their fat fucking asses and vote. Or, if you did vote, maybe vote more intelligently next go around.

[-] karl_chungus@lemm.ee 10 points 5 days ago

If we’re even allowed to vote ever again.

[-] BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 days ago

It'll be allowed, but they've just got to make sure only the "right people" get counted.

[+] Polderviking@feddit.nl 44 points 6 days ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

[deleted]

[-] fake_meows@lemm.ee 14 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

What are the odds that they saved the US money and kept it a total secret rather than to brag about it.

So low that I think this is a smoking gun that they failed to do so. We now know it didn't work out because they are quiet.

[-] Flisty@mstdn.social 11 points 6 days ago

@fake_meows @Polderviking they cut loads of things that are a small (comparative) expense that bring in, or save, a lot of money, or support the economy. Like the national parks and USAID, and *all science*. Those new expenses won't be realised for a while but in the mean time they're paying off sacked staff left and right, paying the DOGE team, and fighting legal rulings. It's a ridiculous way of going about anything.

[-] Furbag@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

All of the receipts on the stupid DGE website so far have been lacking any and all context, which makes their "savings" worthless without more accounting. Okay, so they cut $1bn from one program by cancelling it, but what if that $1bn that was being spent was generating a return of investment down the road? Then they cut a service that actually ended up costing the taxpayers less than the alternative, which then needs to be recouped somehow.

I compare it to a mayor slashing the police budget because crime is at an all time low - completely ignoring that the cause of the crime being low was a well-funded police force. Shortsighted idiots should never be in charge of money.

[-] boonhet@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago

Only the savings matter to them unfortunately.

I bet they'll defund the IRS too. Did you know that every dollar in IRS funding brings multiple dollars back to the federal budget? It'll have diminishing returns eventually, but the 1:1 point hasn't been hit. Essentially it's because IRS can catch more tax evaders if they have better funding.

[-] fake_meows@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago

Some things that just have high prices are worth it, because all the alternatives can be worse.

[-] fake_meows@lemm.ee 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Yeah, its a circular economy. So for example, all your federal workers spend, save, invest and pay taxes in the country.

I think this a good small example: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/new-report-shows-nasas-75-6-billion-boost-to-us-economy/

NASA budget is about $25B

That money (which is respent in the national economy) adds $75B to GDP. 3:1 multiplier effect.

So by finding NASA by $25B you get most of it back again in taxes AND you get all the jobs, services, technology etc. Its a huge list of benefits that is basically paying for itself. That's 300,000+ jobs and $10B in more downstream taxes...that counts against the $25B budget...it is really a net $15B tax spend to bring in $75B in GDP increase.

If you cut this program, you shrink the overall economy, drop.GDP AND lower future tax revenues. So when the money these programs spends is multiplied out through the economy in a circular way, the high price tag is a useless / pointless way to analyze the value of the return. You need to have the full systemic analysis or you're just doing damage...

This is every government program. My own small business I can track higher sales when SSI checks go out. The grocery store lines are longer and all the seniors are lining up to get groceries when the checks arrive...

And even if you "save money", what would you turnaround and do with it if not fund NASA and social security? Do they have a better idea? What else do we need that money for?

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[-] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 5 days ago

They're just gonna make shit up like they always do. They've already tried overinflating their "savings", I'm sure they'll just do it again. If the first lie doesn't work, go BIGGER!

[-] BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 days ago

It's real easy to fake the data here, focus entirely on agency spend and completely ignore any savings the agencies themselves may have been responsible for. That can be hard to quantify anyways. They'll do that and right wing media will eat it up.

[-] Tryenjer@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

They, as serious and responsible managers with only the interests of their citizens at heart, chose to keep it in the most reliable, safe place possible, in their own pockets.

[-] kerntucky@infosec.pub 15 points 5 days ago

This needs to be bigger news on the mainstream channels, but you know it wont be.

I'm so tired of this shit.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 49 points 6 days ago

Why would you say "half" when you could say "500"?

500 Billion Dollars.

[-] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 27 points 6 days ago

A trillion is larger than a billion, so half a trillion is a more rage bait headline.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 17 points 6 days ago

Humans can’t fathom the vast distances of space. How are we going to fathom a trillion dollars?

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

this might help.

at least, in part.

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[-] drunkpostdisaster@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Rage is the only reasonable response.

[-] nightwatch_admin@feddit.nl 5 points 6 days ago

Be that as it may, it’s a significant amount of money that will not be collected but will now trickle down… excuse me, I have a very hard time keeping a straight face hahaha

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

I think it's the opposite. We're all used to "a billion" now, even thought we can't really concieve of it the way we can, say $100. But a trillion is just space money. Just make it a gazillion.

500 Billion has real competitive traction - people are billionaires, this is more than them, etc. A trillion is something you have nanoparticles of, something very small.

[-] Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

“Billion”, sadly, is a term that nowadays conjures an individual human or corporate level figure.

“Trillion” is an economy level figure and suitably conjures an idea of how fucked up you all are.

IMHO.

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[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 23 points 6 days ago

They're very efficient at destroying the country.

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

Lets see how long it takes them to turn US Treasury Bonds from their AAA+++ (or whatever) status down to D.

[-] CherryBullets@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 days ago

"Lost"... yeah, "lost" it in their bank account.

[-] Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 18 points 6 days ago

This was always the plan.

[-] karl_chungus@lemm.ee 15 points 6 days ago

Hmm, I wonder where it went /s

[-] some_designer_dude@lemmy.world 27 points 6 days ago

Tomorrow: IRS has been fired.

[-] Freshparsnip@lemm.ee 7 points 6 days ago

No because IRS is helping capture immigrants

[-] uberdroog@lemmy.world 25 points 6 days ago

Are we winning yet? Are we great?

[-] Freshparsnip@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago

Eggs now cost 4 cents per dozen

[-] Viskio_Neta_Kafo@lemm.ee 14 points 6 days ago

They all need to be jailed.

[-] Guns0rWeD13@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

i don't see any point to keeping these people alive.

[-] Viskio_Neta_Kafo@lemm.ee 5 points 6 days ago

At least with musk himself it would be grand to see him spend his life in a padded cell with nothing to do and bland food.

[-] Guns0rWeD13@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

i'm not interested in punishment. only solutions.

[-] Viskio_Neta_Kafo@lemm.ee 3 points 6 days ago

I'm for both to be honest.

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

Hanged by their bootstraps

[-] Pax@lemmy.ca 11 points 6 days ago

Correction - they efficiently lost half a trillion dollars for the USA

[-] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Again. This is bad journalism. It’s not lost, it’s “lost.”

[-] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago

i don't understand your point. the article reports that the IRS is being disrupted by DOGE, and as a result, IRS agents are not able to do their jobs properly, which results in less tax money being received

[-] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

That money isn’t lost. That’s my point.

[-] irish_link@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Not sure what you mean. Their job is literally to collect money. If you want to play the revenue concept its till lost revenuer. Would you prefer theft by the rich?

If you owe me money and I don't get it then its lost. Or you didn't pay me so you stole money from me. Please give me another example of how its not lost instead of just saying the words. Give me an explanation or an example.

[-] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

I think their argument is that the tax revenue is still owed, whether it's collected or not. So the IRS could absolutely get back on track post Trump and pursue these unpaid taxes.

[-] MisterOwl@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

It ain't fucking lost, it's being re-distributed.

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

How much did they allegedly “save”…when corrected for their basic mathematical errors?

[-] tacobellhop@midwest.social 1 points 5 days ago

No taxation without representation

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this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2025

811 points (100.0% liked)

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