IRS Predicts DOGE Lost Half a Trillion Dollars for the USA

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Talking Points Memo

March 22, 2025 8:30 p.m.


The Post reports today that the IRS’s internal projections estimate that the DOGE-driven disruptions to the IRS since the inauguration are on track to have reduced tax receipts by more than $500 billion by April 15th.

This, to be clear, is not a final tally. It’s not April 15th yet. It’s a projection based on historical data, the number of people who’ve filed, paid owed amounts of tax etc.

It’s worth taking a moment to put this number into some context in case half a trillion dollars doesn’t do it for you.

Non-defense discretionary spending is the cost to fund the US government once you take out mandatory spending (mostly Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) and the cost of the US military. For 2023 that number was $917 billion. So that’s most of the stuff we think of as the government, apart from those payment programs and the military.

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/irs-predicts-doge-lost-half-a-trillion-dollars-for-the-usa

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Link to WaPo article - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/22/irs-tax-revenue-loss-federal-budget/

[MLWR]

1. I have said from the start of this entire, illegal enterprise

that Comrade Krasnov and his pet muskrat along with muskrat's mutant, ninja techies will cost us taxpayers multiple times what they "save."

[DENVERPOPS]

52. they rejoice

at hearing news like this, and Putin even more so. Along with China and NKorea, Belarus? the Saudis?

[EarthFirst]

2. Archived link:

https://archive.ph/0krUr

[dalton99a]

7. +1

[UpInArms]

10. Thank you

eom

[RainCaster]

16. Thank you for the link!

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Figures. DOGE and the Wreckers were never about 'saving money'.

[RazorbackExpat]

8. But there are still some idiots who believe that crap

[GiqueCee]

20. You're right, they weren't about saving money...

... they were ALL about stealing it. And doing the bidding of Vladimir Putin.
Why is everyone so afraid of acknowledging the bear skull-fucking the elephant in the room? This is why Putin interfered and helped install Trump in the first place. The Useful Idiot is a Russian asset, and has been in Putin's pocket for decades! The irrefutable proof of that is voluminous! Putin wants America, and its world influence, destroyed. And he's been pretty successful so far.
Musk is batshit crazy, and saw an opportunity to destroy something huge, 'cause why the hell not, and rob the country blind in the process. BIG win-win for him. Even bigger lose-lose for the nation, because those at the top of political food chain are in on it, and/or too chickenshit to say "boo" to any of the Terrible Triumvirate. And the oligarchs behind Project 2025 are circling like the greed-crazed vultures they are.
Bulldozing them all into a toxic waste dump would be an insult to toxic waste.

[Blues Heron]

4. They are penny dumb and pound dumber

[dchill]

14. They're scavengers, grifters and, most of all, criminals.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. DOGE misappropriated the money YOU had to pay

for federal taxes.

To quote Shrub, “IT’S YOUR MONEY!”

[tanyev]

6. Geniuses in their own minds.

[IronLionZion]

9. Less resources for IRS to audit wealthy tax cheaters

The administration has moved to fire nearly 20,000 agency employees, specifically targeting new hires in taxpayer services and enforcement divisions

Super genius levels of efficiency

[Diraven]

31. Billionaires can just stop paying taxes now

Pretty sure there is an unstated understanding that they will not be audited or prosecuted for just ignoring all the tax laws while Trump is in office, because they are part of our ruling oligarchy class now so laws don't apply to them.

[AllyCat]

11. He didn't lose it. He knows exactly who he gave the money to

[dchill]

12. "A billion here and a billion there - pretty soon you're talking real money."

- Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen (R - Illinois)

[Historic NY]

13. Last yr they collected 1 billion in back taxes from the ritchie riches

https://www.wdsu.com/article/irs-collects-one-billion-in-back-taxes-from-high-wealth-taxpayers/61568592]

[3Hotdogs]

15. Let's look at this in the bigger picture. We all know that probably 60% of the drones in IRS spend 80% pf their

time at the coffee machine, on their cell phone setting hair and nail appointments or having a smoke outside in the courtyard.

So probably 20% of the droneforce could be lost without anyone noticing.

How do we know this to be true? If it wasn't, you wouldn't have to wait months to get an appointment to talk with somebody about the problem you are having. In past, you use'ta just be able to walk into the building.

So let's get rid of more dead weight and run the place like a well oiled business.


















Yes, Martha, it's sarcasm.

[EarnestPutz]

43. Very well done. Pointed sarcasm, absolutely since I just came from the IRS office in Spokane where my 20 minute...

….appointment, made 2 days in advance, required less than 5 minutes in the waiting room (with six other souls) as the eight agents working there efficiently handled everyone’s questions.

[Demobrat]

47. Sounds like my experience at the SS office.

I went armed with a good book expecting to spend hours. I was out in 45 minutes, all set.

[edhopper]

17. Why is this not a large headline

in the NY Times and on NBC, CBS,ABC, CNN.....

[DENVERPOPS]

23. When I see that question,

repeatedly here on DU, I have to ask myself......

Do People realize that 95+% of ALL Media in the U.S. is owned/operated by the Uber Rich Oligarchs and Corporations????????

The RepubliCONs, have slowly and covertly taken them over the past 45+ years in preparation for today...............

NO DIFFERENT, than Russia's PRAVDA, or Hitler taking over the German Media in the run up to WWII........

As I have said countless times here, the perfect TITLE for a book on the past 45+ years would be:

WHILE THE NATION SLEPT.............

AND

"The people were wandering down the Jungle Path, swatting at mosquitoes, completely oblivious to the herd of charging elephants"
(PUN INTENDED)

[edhopper]

24. Yeah

My question was rhetorical, of course they don't want to say what Musk is really doing.

[DENVERPOPS]

27. True ed

they use Reagan, WBush, Trump as a diversion to all the shit they have done and are continuing to do from the shadows, behind smoke-screens and behind the curtains......

[IronLionZion]

37. It's in the Bezos owned Washington Post

but I guess no one else cares about this?

[edhopper]

38. What page?

[IronLionZion]

40. The Business section, so probably not front page

[edhopper]

41. half a trillion shortfall

Last edited Sun Mar 23, 2025, 05:58 PM - Edit history (1)

because of Musk and only in the business section, that will wake people up.

[IronLionZion]

45. Half a trillion, but yes. More people should be concerned.

GOP is consistently full of it on economic policy.

[republianmushroom]

18. Only way to make it up is to tax the shit out of the very wealthy.

[Evolve Dammit]

19. Now that's efficiency........ Deport Musk

[dchill]

21. Headline news that will never be a headline.

Waste, fraud and abuse - lather, rinse and repeat.

[Jarqui]

22. Half a Trillion ...

divided by 340 million Americans is

$1,471 lost for each and every American during Trump's first two months of office

But America won't find out officially because Trump's a fraudster, as proven by AG James - he'll cook the books.

[Deminpenn]

25. Can we taxpayers sue Musk and

his minions individually and jointly to recover this lost revenue?

[C_U_L8R]

26. Heckovajob, Big Balls.

We had every confidence Elon and doge-doo deputies would bellyflop, bigtime. Go back to your mama's basement, you nosepickers.

[flamingdem]

54. Good title!!

[Irish_Dem]

28. Who got $500B richer?

[Irish_Dem]

29. Musk is not trying to save money for the public.

It's about transferring wealth to the rich.

[bluestarone]

30. putin is no dummy. For his initial investment he's getting billions

So we should be making billboards across our country showing the money pipe coming in and huge money pipe back to putin.

[sakabatou]

32. So... we're looking at a loss of 166 billion per month. And there's 9 months left.

[Beartracks]

33. DOGE was never about efficiency. It's goal is to make government ineffective and civil service undesirable.

Republicans always claim government "is the problem" -- and then, every time they can get their hands on any lever of power, Republicans make that self-fulfilling prophecy come true, whether on purpose or by accident. DOGE has very much been on purpose.

But I've thought for a number of years now that it's not necessarily government in and of itself that Republicans hate; it's democracy for which they have absolutely no use.

=================

[chouchou]

34. OVER 500 BILLION????

#$$%%!@@!##^&*$@#$%$Q#@%^&$%^%^##%$@##$$%^&*(!@!!!!!

[SunSeeker]

35. K & R

[SunSeeker]

36. For every dollar spent on IRS enforcement activities, the agency can generate between $5 and $9 in increased revenue.

https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57444

[Martin68]

39. For anyone who understands and loves democracy, this is a disaster. For MAGAts, it's good thing because they hate the

IRS. They have been brainwashed for decades by the right wing media that the IRS is evil and taxes are bad.

[electron_blue]

42. lost?? no - it was stolen

This has been clear as day since inauguration week

[moonshinegnomie]

44. send muskrat the blll

take it out of his personal funds... seize them if needed

[SWBTATTReg]

46. And also how much did tRUMP cost the US in reduced stock prices because of his damn mouth? Trillions.

[Montauk6]

48. Was it REALLY lost...?

Or did one of the Kiddie Hackers siphon it off to some designated collector?

[Karasu]

49. Thus defeating the entire stated "point" of its "existence." Just what the fuck is it going to take to get rid of this

fucking fictional "department," if not this very thing?

[Hornedfrog2000]

50. I think part of the point

Is that they wont be able to audit people like trump and musk

[Turbineguy]

51. Trump will be expensive.

[pat_k]

53. It is the complex audits of businesses and individuals that are cut.

All us regular folk who get flagged by an algorithm with simple tax forms, well still be audited at the same frequencies. The missing money is failure to find big money "oversights" "errors" and outright fraud from those "high end" tax cheats.

It sounds like they are already closing in-progress audits of wealthy individuals and corps due to personnel cuts.

[Hassler]

55. If you want to cheat on your taxes, this is the year