Exclusive | World Bank fears Donald Trump's spending axemen could demand cuts: sources

World Bank officials — under fire for losing track of $24 billion in climate funds — are panicking over the prospect of severe budget cuts as President-elect Donald Trump pledges to slash US government spending, The Post has learned.According to sources, top brass at the Washington-based lender — which has faced accusations that it’s operated like a slush fund for jet-setting bureaucrats despite a mandate to fight poverty and climate change — have been on edge since Trump’s blowout election victory.This week, it emerged that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are slated to lead a White House advisory body called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — and they could have the World Bank in their sights, according to sources.“They have been running around like headless chickens since Trump won,” one permanent staffer speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Post.“It has sparked fear,” the source added.“They will be desperately trying to show they are saving money.”Trump named the Tesla titan and his one-time Republican presidential challenger to head DOGE on Tuesday.

Ramaswamy said he and Musk will “bring a chainsaw” to pare back feckless spending.“The government shouldn’t be in the business of giving away free money.Uncle Sam isn’t supposed to be ‘Uncle Sucker,” the 39-year-old tech entrepreneur wrote on X.A source close to the GOP firebrand told The Post that all foreign aid spending is “in scope” for possible cuts.One area ripe for the knife has been the World Bank’s lavish spending on air travel, fueled by a policy that allows unelected bureaucrats to upgrade to business class for any flight that’s five hours or longer.Leaked documents obtained by The Post show how managers blew nearly $9,000 on a return business class ticket with a private suite from Washington Dulles airport to Baku in Azerbaijan on the uber-luxurious Qatar Airways.That’s despite regulations governing the World Bank’s domestic count...