Our national debt is a little over $35 trillion. That’s a lot. Addressing this head-on is not for the weak, the weepy, or those lacking gonads or vertebrae, or both. And it’s going to take more than simply balancing the budget. We must start to draw down the debt immediately.

The federal government (guv) takes in revenue from a variety of sources. This we know. We also know that the guv expends funds all over the place. The deficit is the difference of expenditures over revenue. Or is it? Actually, it’s not. The national debt calculation includes appropriations included in the annual budget that have not yet been expended. It also includes expenditures planned for future fiscal years.

Here are some suggestions for trimming the national debt right now while the 119th Congress and the Trump Administration hash out the final version of the FY-2025 federal budget (October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.) It should be ready within six weeks of the inauguration. No time to lose!

Freeing up taxpayer fund by Andrea Widburg

What is the process by which the fed bleeds green? Starts with the budget. Once that is signed into law, funding is deemed to have been appropriated for the purposes listed in the budget. This also includes the number of FTEs (full-time equivalent employees).

The Trump White House should direct every agency to list all positions included in the current FY-25 budget projection that are new and unfilled or have been vacant for, say, four months. Yes, it takes a while to bring people on, but if they have been identified and their clearance process is started, maybe count them as filled positions? That will be up to the new Office of Personnel Management.

Immediately halt hiring actions for new unfilled and vacant positions, especially any projected IRS positions. Take that amount out of the budget. Either reduce the overall budget or apply it to paying down principal debt.

We now know that mRNA shots are not safe. All contracts for government stockpiles should be terminated immediately.

Other than staffing, the guv mostly acquires goods and services. To a much lesser degree, it funds research and sends block grants to the states. Acquiring goods and services has a specific complicated process bounded by so many regulations you can’t imagine. Simplified, it looks like this:

An agency receives its budget appropriation. Some agencies create commitments, setting aside funding for specific purposes so that available funding is easily identified, like a Christmas Club account at a bank. The guv issues contracts for goods and services, thus obligating funds to a specific vendor with specific conditions. As the contract is fulfilled, the guv pays the vendor.

The Trump White House should direct every agency to list all appropriated funding from any fiscal year (past, present, or future) that hasn’t yet been used, as well as all committed funds and obligated funds for which work has not been completed.

We know that the climate hysteria now gripping our country is a hoax. Any funding addressed to “green” initiatives, “sustainable” programs, “low carbon” and “net zero” issues should be pulled immediately.

Luckily, some of the many clauses in the Federal Acquisition Regulations that must be included in guv contracts deal with terminating a contract. It might cost a little to get out of a contract but doing so will save on wastage.

The same for any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training, monitoring, or enforcement. Same for any funding of any so-called “gender affirming” affirmation, support, care, medication, or surgery. Same for any support for illegal aliens. Same for any funding of any sort destined for “sanctuary” states, counties, cities, etc. Same for any new federal facilities, like the new FBI HQ that’s on the drawing board. Staffing will go down; new facilities might not be needed. Same for any funding not critical to the operation of the guv.

For example, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 included $2 billion for grants for EV and hydrogen-powered vehicles and $3 billion for loans to build “advanced” vehicles. Cancel these programs and any others having to do with “climate resilience.” Three billion dollars for “zero-emission” USPS vehicles and associated infrastructure. Two billion dollars to incentivize Federal Highway contractors to use low-emission materials. Over three-point-three billion to GSA to green up federal buildings. Nearly $2 billion for neighborhood access grants. And so on, and so on. It all adds up.

I believe President Trump will halt the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. There are billions in funding for military support running through the end of FY-26 in the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024. Identify it and pull it out. Same for all the other Ukraine funding bills: pull the out-years funding out.

When we can say that, in just a couple of months, Trump and his people, along with our conservative Congress members, made a real dent in the debt, that will make us all proud and be a fine position from which to campaign in two years. Half of Trump’s appointees should vie with each other to work themselves out of a job first. Congressional staffers should be recognized for their identification of reductions to be made. In fact, perhaps Congress should get a little more funding for its Shrink the Government Task Force that will, I imagine, be working very closely with the White House and with D.O.G.E.

It’s time to make a start. We the People are counting on the Trump Administration and the 119th Congress to get this done.

Anony Mee is the nom de blog of a retired public servant who X-tweets at oh_yeahMee.