Schools burned through hundreds of billions in COVID-relief funds. Much of it had “little” impact on students. Some went to Vegas hotel rooms and even an ice cream truck, according to the Trump administration’s cost-cutting department.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is exposing wasteful government spending. On Thursday, they revealed that nearly $200 billion was spent by schools with “little oversight or impact on students.”
Granite Public Schools in Utah dropped $86,000 on hotel rooms at Caesars Palace. Santa Ana Unified spent $393,000 renting out a Major League Baseball stadium. That’s according to a report by Parents Defending Education, shared by DOGE.
Some schools used the funds for things that had nothing to do with education. $60,000 went to swimming pool passes. One California district even bought an ice cream truck.
“All of this money was drawn with zero documentation,” DOGE posted on X.
Now, the Trump administration is tightening controls. There’s still $4 billion left in funds, but stricter rules are in place. Every grantee must “provide receipts for every purchase before funding is released.”
As these revelations surface, outrage is growing. Local leaders and education groups are demanding answers.
“Remember those school board meetings? When elites in Covidstan smeared moms as selfish for questioning ‘The Science’ and ESSER fund spending? Never let them forget we were right about everything,” Moms for Liberty stated.
Will O’Neil, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, slammed the stadium rental. “An absolute joke,” he said.
“This is outrageous,” the Republican Party of Bexar County posted.
DOGE is also targeting the Department of Education. Just last week, they slashed $370 million in taxpayer spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
They cut 70 DEI training grants. One program trained teachers to “confront their own biases and racism.” That funding is now gone, DOGE confirmed.