In an exclusive report obtained by Fox News, a conservative fiscal watchdog group has launched a new initiative to monitor the spending of government agencies against their growth.
The group, OpenTheBooks, has unveiled a disturbing trend, where despite a decrease in staff levels at the Department of Education since 2000, the agency's spending has surged by a staggering 749%.
OpenTheBooks has described this finding as "even more galling" in light of recent statistics from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which indicate that student achievement has not rebounded from the significant declines experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The data on the Department of Education is part of a broader initiative by OpenTheBooks, set to be launched on Thursday. The initiative aims to compare agency outlays with agency spending, providing the public with "a clearer picture of the government as it stands." The group's analysis revealed that federal agency spending has significantly outstripped the rate of agency growth over time.
In its report, OpenTheBooks highlighted concerns about alleged cost-saving measures by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its leader, tech tycoon Elon Musk. The group questioned the necessity for spending cuts in light of a federal workforce that has largely remained static in size.
The group's findings revealed that in some instances, such as with the Department of Education, spending has increased sevenfold while staff numbers have remained relatively unchanged or even decreased. For instance, at the National Institutes of Health, staff levels increased by 21.5%, but spending grew 301%.
Savannah Newhouse, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, criticized previous administrations for "frivolously spending taxpayer dollars on priorities that do nothing to help our students learn." She pointed to programs such as "DEI training in teacher prep programs and Equity Assistance Centers," as evidence of the agency's lack of focus on student outcomes.
"Under President Trump, the department is aggressively auditing our spending to ensure maximum impact for students and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars," Newhouse stated.
OpenTheBooks' initiative also discovered that at least 75 federal agencies listed in the Federal Register are effectively "defunct or obsolete," having been absorbed by other entities, renamed, or in some cases, no longer exist. The group noted that records of these "defunct" agencies are often outdated, making it challenging for the public to gain a comprehensive understanding of the federal government.
OpenTheBooks CEO John Hart posed a crucial question in a statement to Fox News Digital: "Where is the money going?" He argued that taxpayers deserve to see the growth in spending in each agency to decide how many are needed. "If the excessive waste and fraud we've uncovered over the years and DOGE is highlighting is any guide, taxpayers may be better served by far fewer than 441 agencies, including the ones that are defunct."
To date, OpenTheBooks has charted 50 federal agencies as far back as the data allows, creating an accessible database that offers the public "a clearer picture of the government as it stands." The group plans to release their findings periodically as they chart more agencies.
The fiscal watchdog group also spotlighted other significant examples, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Agency for International Development (USAID). At FEMA, staffing levels have grown roughly 290% over the last quarter-century, but spending has skyrocketed at a rate of 2,096%.
At USAID, staffing levels have increased roughly 218% while spending has grown about 468%. These findings underscore the need for a more prudent and responsible approach to government spending, aligning with the principles of fiscal conservatism.
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