Ignore all of that is it even within the president's purgative to cut the spending? As I understand it congress, specifically the House of Representatives, hold the power of the purse and sets that national budget. Congress apportions funding for specific programs to be spent, and its the job of the executive to execute the legislation as specified by the legislative branch. They must spend the money on what they are told to spend it on. Similarly congress created many of these agencies and department Trump/Musk/D.O.G.E. are trying to kill and as such only congress can dissolve them. This is a massive executive overreach. Trump is trying to claim that all congress can do is set a ceiling on spending rather than tell him to actually spend it which is patently ridiculous as then he could just defund anything he disagrees with congress with and de-facto nullify any congressional action.