In 2024, the Veterans’ Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 accounted for nearly $120 million in government funds despite its appropriations being authorized through 1998

Summary

Vivek Ramaswamy, recently appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has proposed defunding federal programs that lack current congressional authorization.

This could affect programs like veterans’ healthcare, NASA, and early education initiatives, which still receive funding despite expired authorizations.

Ramaswamy argues that cutting these programs could save billions, and he’s committed to targeting expenditures that “don’t advance the interests of American citizens.”

DOGE, co-led by Elon Musk, aims to curb government spending, with Musk estimating potential cuts of up to $2 trillion.

  • Asafum@feddit.nl
    0·
    22 hours ago

    Touching NASA very well might be the thing that finally pushes me to actual violence.

    Scientific endeavors, but specifically research and exploration of space are pretty much the only things in life I really have a passion for.

    • teawrecks@sopuli.xyz
      0·
      8 hours ago

      NASA is and has always been a way for the US to maintain a literal military high ground. If it gets defunded, I don’t think you’ll have to resort to violence, our rivals will do it for us.

    • someguy3@lemmy.world
      0·
      20 hours ago

      Back in the day they funded NASA because they were worried about being eclipsed by the USSR. Now they may worry about belong eclipsed by China. But yes they might move a shit ton to spacex.

    • WashedOver@lemmy.ca
      0·
      21 hours ago

      The last conservative government silenced the government scientists from discussing climate change and destroyed decades of research as they didn’t believe in it and it didn’t fit their Alberta oil jobs first objectives.

      We are looking at another Conservative government coming our way again in the next year and it’s going to be a super shit storm when our Cons and the US Cons are firing on all cylinders destroy everything they don’t like or believe in. I fear it’s going to take decades again to come back on the science again.

      • adarza@lemmy.caEnglish
        0·
        21 hours ago

        you’ll know nasa is doomed when space-lasers greene or flat earth boebert get tagged for nasa admin.

        • hraegsvelmir@lemm.eeEnglish
          0·
          20 hours ago

          At least in that case, we could look forward to one of them saying something dumb like, “The moon is fake, it’s not like I could actually go there.” NASA leadership could launch a mission to send them to the moon to prove it real and just go, “Oops, we missed. Darn thing moved on us.”