According to a tool from the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project, which tracks government money, indicated that federal spending didn’t slow down contrary to the big promises made. As per the findings highlighted by the Brookings Institution, outlays had risen from $7.135 to 7.558 trillion as of December 19. This constitutes for a nearly 6% increase.

In turn, Cato Institute’s analysis of the report noted, “DOGE had no noticeable effect on the trajectory of spending. But it did help engineer the largest peacetime workforce reduction on record.” The reported data further showed that all this increase in spending was mapped out even when the federal employment was slashed by 271,000, accounting for a 9% slump since January 2025.