A military parade in North Korea. Photo courtesy of Free Maylasia Today.

President Trump’s military parade in Washington, DC on June 14 - coincidentally or not, his birthday - is a flagrant celebration of militarism, war and brute power. It’s also expensive, expected to cost as much as $45 million - including as much as $16 million to repair a mere few hours’ worth of damage done by heavy military vehicles to the city’s streets.

While the President throws himself this birthday bash, his administration is busy dismantling more than just the pavement in our nation’s capital. The destruction is happening on multiple fronts at once: there’s Elon Musk’s DOGE, the President’s budget bill that would gut Medicaid and food stamps to pay for war and deportations, and the president’s budget bill that would enact the nation’s first trillion-dollar war budget while further decimating government services. 

Here are ten programs President Trump has cut (or threatened to cut) that we could save for about $45 million or less:

1. Department of Education - Office for Civil Rights - $49 million

For decades, the Office for Civil Rights has investigated when a student reports discrimination at school on the basis of race, gender, disability. When President Trump came into office, 6,000 of the 10,000 pending cases addressed disability claims; 3,200 addressed racial discrimination, and 1,000 addressed sexual harassment or sexual violence. Now, investigations have all but come to a halt, and President Trump has proposed eliminating the office.

2.  Enforcement of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act - $37 million

From polar bears to monarch butterflies and dolphins, animal species have long relied on the promise of protection under these two laws. Some scientific estimates suggest that species have died off 1,000 times faster after the arrival of humans compared to before, resulting in a crisis for biodiversity. President Trump has proposed downsizing and consolidating two offices that enforce the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

3. Development of an HIV vaccine in South Africa - $37 million

The lifesaving potential of an effective HIV vaccine is hard to overstate. With the world’s largest population of people living with HIV, South Africa is the ideal place to develop such a vaccine. After decades of work, researchers have been making strides in recent years. And once a successful vaccine is developed, it will work not just in South Africa, but for people everywhere. At the president’s direction, Elon Musk’s DOGE terminated a vaccine development contract and alleged savings of $37 million. 

4. U.S. Institute of Peace - $15 million

Alongside Trump administration plans to devote $1 trillion to the Pentagon and war next year, the administration is calling for defunding the U.S. Institute for Peace, whose mission is to prevent and resolve violent conflicts, and contribute to post-conflict stability. USIP’s mission has often been subjugated to U.S militarism, but the world needs more conflict resolution and prevention, not less. The Trump administration has proposed defunding USIP.

5. HIV prevention in young adults  - $14.9 million

HIV is a problem worldwide - and in the U.S. too. Researchers at Florida State University were working to coordinate research into HIV prevention and treatment for U.S. adolescents, until Elon Musk’s DOGE ended their grant.

6. Legal support children who have experienced abuse or neglect - $8.7 million

Children can’t hire their own lawyers. So the National Casa Association provides court-appointed lawyers to children who have experienced abuse or neglect. At the president’s direction, Elon Musk’s DOGE purged this grant among many others.

7. Reduce maternal and child mortality through nutrition, anti-malaria, and other services in Malawi - $7.4 million

Children under 5 accounted for 76 percent of malaria deaths in Africa. Malawi, in Africa, was in the top 15 countries affected by malaria. Elon Musk’s DOGE cut off this grant intended to reduce maternal and child mortality related to malaria and other health challenges.

8. Support for farmers in the Chickasaw nation and Oklahoma farmers - $5.3 million

Climate change is changing everything, and farming is no exception. The Department of Agriculture awarded grants all over the country to support for sustainable, climate-smart farming - in this case, for farming of pecans, fruits and vegetables. Elon Musk’s DOGE terminated many of these grants. 

9. Expand broadband internet access in Wyoming - $5.3 million

Internet access is vital to life in 2025, from job searching to finding a doctor. But rural broadband access is still spotty. The federal government made a series of grants to expand broadband access across the country. Elon Musk’s DOGE terminated many of them.

10. Reduce child labor and forced labor - $5 million

Child labor and forced labor are still rampant in many industries. This USAID grant to World Vision was to reduce labor violations in tomato and pepper farming around the world. This was one of many such grants terminated by Elon Musk’s DOGE.

Any or many of these could be saved by skipping the parade. And we could save even more by saying no to a trillion-dollar Pentagon budget.