Washington bureaucrats have a long history of creating programs that sound good on paper but waste billions in taxpayer dollars. From $640 toilet seats to $7,000 coffee makers, and even a $2 million study on why people like certain foods, the federal government has mastered the art of burning through cash with little to show for it.

When President Trump returned to office, he promised to hunt down and eliminate wasteful spending. While many politicians make such promises, few deliver results as quickly as Trump’s administration has—particularly when it comes to programs that abandoned their original mission to promote political agendas.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has uncovered and eliminated a multi-million dollar program created during the Biden administration that was supposed to prevent terrorism but instead pushed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and LGBTQ initiatives in schools.

From ‘Fox News’:

“President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to eliminate wasteful government spending, and that is exactly what we are doing,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, told Fox News Digital. “This program was not only wasteful, it was also using public money to support an openly partisan and political organization.”

The program, called Invent2Prevent, was designed to give students tools to prevent terrorism and violence in their communities. But under Biden’s leadership, the Department of Homeland Security contracted primarily with far-left organizations that changed the focus to DEI and creating “inclusive environments in schools.”

Millions Saved for Taxpayers

By cutting this single program, DHS projects taxpayers will save more than $1.5 million—enough to fund the salaries of approximately 15 additional border patrol agents. The program’s website now displays a banner stating it contains “outdated information that may not reflect current policy or programs.”

This discovery represents just one example of how the Biden administration redirected government resources away from core missions toward ideological priorities. Instead of focusing on preventing terrorism—the program’s original purpose—resources went to promoting divisive identity politics at taxpayer expense.

McLaughlin didn’t mince words when describing the situation, saying “Politicized NGOs like Eradicate Hate have been siphoning away taxpayer dollars for far too long. We are ending the grift.”

Part of a Larger Clean-Up Effort

Noem’s discovery aligns with President Trump’s day-one executive order titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” which he signed on January 20, 2025.

The executive order has prompted both government agencies and private companies to reconsider DEI policies. Major corporations from Amazon to Goldman Sachs have followed the administration’s lead in removing these programs, recognizing the shift in federal priorities.

Trump also signed a March memorandum removing DEI from the Foreign Service, stating the president “believes all parts of government should be based solely on merit.”

While some DEI programs still exist throughout government, the Trump administration has shown it’s serious about returning to merit-based systems while saving taxpayer dollars in the process.

This latest victory demonstrates how the administration is keeping its promise to eliminate wasteful spending program by program. With more agencies conducting similar reviews, American taxpayers can expect more announcements of funds being redirected from ideological initiatives back to core government functions.

As federal departments continue their top-to-bottom reviews, the question remains: how many more millions in wasteful spending are still hiding in plain sight? The American people deserve nothing less than complete accountability for every tax dollar spent.

Key Takeaways

• Secretary Noem uncovered a $1.5 million program that abandoned counterterrorism to push DEI in schools
• The Biden-era program was funneling taxpayer money to “politicized NGOs” promoting partisan agendas
• Trump’s day-one executive order is successfully eliminating wasteful ideological programs across government
• Both federal agencies and private corporations are returning to merit-based systems over identity politics

Sources: Fox News