DOGE Axes $50K 'Problem-Solving' Contract in Sweeping Crackdown on 'Wasteful' Spending

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been on a mission — and they're not exactly being subtle about it. In a flurry of activity, the agency announced it has axed 269 contracts that they deemed "wasteful," with a hefty ceiling value of $845 million. That’s not just a trim; it’s a full-on haircut for federal spending, boasting $255 million in savings.

Among the contracts tossed aside: a $50,000 consulting deal with the Department of the Interior, which was supposed to fund "facilitation and collaborative problem-solving services." Now, I’m all for solving problems, but apparently DOGE thinks $50K could be better spent elsewhere — I guess the government will have to solve its own puzzles for a while.

It doesn’t stop there. DOGE slashed $90 million in grants, including nearly a million dollars for a BIPOC culinary program and $625,000 for a Russian-Far East biodiversity partnership. Sounds like even the world’s rarest cuisines and critters aren’t safe from this spending spree.

The Justice Department was also swept up in the cuts. Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighted some of the more eye-catching eliminations, like $2 million for "national listening sessions of individuals with lived experience" and another $625,000 set aside for a study on the effectiveness of police departments’ LGBTQ liaison services. Safe to say, the government’s research diet just got a lot leaner.

Leading the charge is Elon Musk, who’s turned DOGE into a buzzword for aggressive efficiency. The agency is making it clear: if your contract smells even a little bit like excess, it’s probably on the chopping block.