They Found No Fraud—So They Raised the Debt Ceiling Anyway

I was scrolling through Threads and I saw the following meme. And I was like…damn that really sums it up.

Goose Meme Source: The Tyrannitarian Party

And next I saw the following from Brian Tyler Cohen AKA Daddy which shows that MAGA is almost starting to get it. Almost. But they aren’t there yet.

Threads Screenshot Source: Bryan Tyler Cohen on Threads

The Goose Was Right

You’ve seen the meme. The goose is screaming, and for once, it’s not just noise—it’s prophecy:

“If DOGE is saving the government so much money, then why are Republicans raising the debt ceiling by $4 trillion? WHY ARE REPUBLICANS RAISING THE DEBT CEILING BY $4 TRILLION?”

Exactly.

The GOP launched DOGE—Department of Government Efficiency—as a political weapon. A taxpayer-funded witch hunt to prove their fantasy that the federal government is rotting from the inside out. They were supposed to uncover billions in fraudulent spending, wasteful programs, and liberal corruption.

Instead, they found… absolutely nothing. And now, with no fraud to cut and no savings to show, they’re raising the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.

Not because they want to.

Because they have to.

But rather than admit they were wrong, they’ve doubled down—gutting federal programs anyway, blaming “wokeness,” and pretending they saved you money.

They didn’t. They failed. And now they’re trying to cover it up by burning the house down.

DOGE is a Scam, Not a Watchdog

DOGE is supposed to be the conservative version of a budgetary reckoning. Think the IRS meets QAnon. Tasked with auditing the so-called “deep state,” it launched in 2024 to much fanfare. MAGA influencers cheered it as the beginning of the end for DEI programs, climate offices, and federal librarians who use the word “equity.”

But there is a problem: none of it is real.

DOGE’s reports are a graveyard of culture war grievances dressed up as fiscal policy. They audited agencies for trans-inclusive healthcare. They investigated DEI training as if it were Enron. They grilled librarians about critical race theory. And when it came time to show the receipts?

Nothing.

No billion-dollar black holes. No embezzlement rings. No cartel of rogue social workers draining the Treasury.

The result (so far)? Not one major criminal referral. Not one cabinet-level resignation. Not a single program shutdown that wasn’t purely political.

They haven’t found waste. They found their own reflection—and called it a threat.

‘Waste’ Is Just Policy They Hate

Let’s be clear: the GOP’s definition of “waste” isn’t about efficiency.

It’s about ideology.

They think government programs helping the poor are wasteful. They think any mention of racial equity is a scam. They think spending on climate change, public transit, or student debt relief is theft.

But here’s what they don’t touch:

• Pentagon bloat? Off limits.
• Oil subsidies? Sacred.
• Tax breaks for billionaires? Necessary “stimulus.”

DOGE didn’t stumble on a deep state conspiracy. It weaponized disgust for public services and called it a budget plan.

So when they couldn’t find fraud, they started calling anything they disliked “fraudulent.”

They Found No Savings—So They Raised the Debt Ceiling

Here’s where the lie collapses.

If you really found billions in waste, you wouldn’t need to borrow more.

But in March 2025, the GOP did exactly that: they pushed through a $4 trillion debt ceiling increase—with help from Democrats, no less 1.

No offsets. No spending cuts. No balanced budget.

Just more debt, more borrowing, more gaslighting.

DOGE didn’t save America money. It has cost money—millions in hearings, staff, travel, PR, and press conferences. And after all that noise, the Republicans had no choice but to raise the debt ceiling because they failed to find a single cent to cut.

The Continuing Resolution (CR) that followed was an embarrassment. MAGA rebels screamed betrayal. Speaker-less chaos reigned. Then House Republicans quietly passed the deal anyway—with just enough help from Democrats to prevent a full-scale default 2.

Collateral Damage: Jobs Lost, Services Gutted, Economy Slowed

The fallout from DOGE’s failure isn’t just ideological—it’s human.

Government departments already stretched thin—EPA field offices, public housing agencies, education compliance staff—are losing employees left and right. These are real people, with real families, who were doing necessary work in already underfunded departments.

Now they’re out of a job.

And when thousands of middle-class federal workers lose their jobs, they don’t just disappear. They stop spending. They stop paying rent. They stop participating in the local economy. That’s a ripple effect with real economic cost 11.

And just when they need new work, the job market’s collapsing thanks to a tariff war that’s strangling trade, crushing small businesses, and freezing hiring 12.

It’s a vicious cycle: dogmatic austerity creates unemployment, which weakens the economy, which justifies more austerity.

DOGE didn’t find fraud. But it caused damage—and we’ll be feeling it for years.

Visual Timeline: Presidents, Deficits, and Ceiling Hikes

President	Party	Years	Net Debt Increase	Avg. Deficit (% GDP)	Notable Fiscal Moves
Jimmy Carter	Democrat	1977–1981	+$299B [3]	2.3% [13]	Inflation focus; limited deficit growth
Ronald Reagan	Republican	1981–1989	+$1.86T [4]	4.1% [13]	Massive tax cuts; military buildup
George H.W. Bush	Republican	1989–1993	+$1.55T [5]	4.3% [13]	Recession; raised taxes to curb deficits
Bill Clinton	Democrat	1993–2001	+$1.4T [6]	0.3% [13]	Balanced budget; budget surplus in last 4 years
George W. Bush	Republican	2001–2009	+$6.1T [7]	3.1% [13]	Two wars + two tax cuts + financial crisis
Barack Obama	Democrat	2009–2017	+$8.6T [8]	3.8% [13]	Stimulus spending; post-crisis recovery
Donald Trump	Republican	2017–2021	+$7.8T [9]	4.7% [13]	TCJA tax cuts; pandemic response
Joe Biden	Democrat	2021–2025	+$4.6T (est) [10]	3.9% (est) [13]	COVID recovery; infrastructure; raised ceiling in 2023

Austerity as Cover for Sabotage

Republicans aren’t shrinking government to make it better. They’re shrinking it to break it.

It’s Reagan’s old “starve the beast” strategy—bleed public services dry, then point at the wreckage and say, “See? Government doesn’t work.”

DOGE was a cover story. A flashy rebrand of the same tired ideology:

• Cut taxes
• Blame spending
• Gut social safety nets
• Call it fiscal responsibility

But this time, it failed in public view. And instead of learning anything, the GOP decided to go full arsonist.

They didn’t reform government. They kneecapped it.

What Happens Now: Crisis, Cuts, and Cowardice

The debt ceiling is now reset. But the GOP has set the stage for the next crisis.

Expect:

• More “budget battles” over made-up waste
• More cuts to housing, education, and healthcare
• More threats of shutdowns and credit downgrades

All while the Pentagon, oil companies, and hedge funds continue to guzzle federal dollars unchallenged.

And here’s the kicker: DOGE will still exist. Still grandstanding. Still not finding a damn thing.

Because it was never about finding anything.

It was about selling a lie.

Conclusion: They Found No Fraud—Because They Are the Fraud

Republicans told you the government was broken. So they created a committee to prove it. When it failed, they broke the government themselves—and stuck you with the bill.

DOGE didn’t expose waste. It exposed Republican strategy:

1. Invent a crisis.
2. Fail to solve it.
3. Demand power to “fix” what they broke.

If there was any real waste, it was in the time, money, and public trust spent entertaining this farce.

And now, with $4 trillion more on the debt clock, they want you to believe they’re the adults in the room.

They’re not.

They’re the con artists who found no fraud—so they committed it.

Sources

[1] Trump and Biden: The National Debt – CRFB
[2] Debt Ceiling Agreement Passes with Democratic Support – AP News
[3] Presidency of Jimmy Carter – Wikipedia
[4] Ronald Reagan and the Debt Ceiling – Reagan Library
[5] National Deficit – U.S. Treasury
[6] The Clinton Presidency: Historic Economic Growth – WH Archives
[7] CRFB Historical Budget Trends
[8] Federal Budget Trends – USAFacts
[9] Trump’s Fiscal Legacy – CRFB
[10] Congress.gov Debt Ceiling History
[11] Federal Workforce: Continued Challenges with Recruiting and Retention – GAO
[12] How Tariffs Affect the U.S. Economy – Congressional Budget Office
[13] Historical Budget Data – Congressional Budget Office