In a fiery and incisive segment on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart took aim at what he called the “real waste, fraud, and abuse” in America—not bloated government bureaucracy, but the billions of dollars in tax cuts, subsidies, and incentives handed to massive corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
Stewart’s monologue, which blended humor with sharp critique, highlighted how the government often prioritizes corporate profits over the needs of everyday Americans.
Stewart began by mocking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump-era initiative led by Elon Musk, which aims to cut federal spending by slashing jobs and programs. While the initiative claims to target inefficiency, Stewart argued that it often demonizes public servants and undermines critical government functions. He ridiculed the approach as a “chainsaw for bureaucracy,” pointing out that many of the so-called savings are either exaggerated or fabricated. For instance, DOGE claimed to save $16 billion by canceling contracts, but closer scrutiny revealed the actual savings were closer to $2 billion.
But Stewart’s critique didn’t stop at the inefficiencies of DOGE. He turned his attention to the larger issue: the billions of taxpayer dollars funneled to corporations through subsidies, tax breaks, and loopholes. In a particularly scathing moment, Stewart noted that oil and gas companies, which already rake in massive profits, receive $3 billion annually in subsidies. He also called out the carried interest loophole, which allows hedge fund managers to pay lower tax rates, and the $2 trillion spent on a fighter jet program that has been plagued with issues.
“How long did that take?” Stewart quipped after listing these examples. “I just saved us billions of dollars in 11 seconds.”
Stewart argued that the real waste in the system lies in the government’s willingness to subsidize corporate profits while neglecting the needs of ordinary Americans. He pointed to industries like pharmaceuticals, where companies benefit from government-funded research and tax breaks but still charge Americans the highest drug prices in the Western Hemisphere. “We subsidize their psychopathy,” Stewart said, calling out the hypocrisy of a system that prioritizes corporate welfare over public welfare.
The segment also touched on the broader societal impact of these policies. Stewart highlighted how companies like Walmart and McDonald’s rely on taxpayer-funded assistance programs to support their underpaid workers, effectively shifting the burden of their low wages onto the public. Meanwhile, programs meant to help struggling Americans are often demonized or cut entirely. “We are subsidizing the very system that makes workers’ lives harder in the first place,” Stewart said.
In a call to action, Stewart urged Democrats to take a more aggressive stance against corporate exploitation. He proposed a “people’s audit” to expose the absurdities and injustices in the system, suggesting that progressive leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Jasmine Crockett could spearhead the effort. “The government’s role should be to end the corruption that enables that exploitation,” Stewart declared.
Stewart’s monologue was a powerful reminder of the systemic issues that often go unaddressed in political discourse. By shifting the focus from small-scale inefficiencies to the massive subsidies and tax breaks given to corporations, Stewart challenged viewers to rethink what “waste, fraud, and abuse” really means—and who it truly benefits.