DOGE claims of saving $110 billion are incorrect and unreliable, watchdog says
By Tami Luhby, CNN
(CNN) — Elon Musk promised his Department of Government Efficiency would slash $2 trillion in federal spending and post its accomplishments on a “Wall of Receipts” website for all to see.
But that published tally incorrectly estimated some savings or did not provide evidence to support some claims, according to a US Government Accountability Office report released Thursday. The watchdog agency said more transparency is needed to determine the actual savings from contract, grant and lease terminations.
The GAO report is the latest analysis to question DOGE’s savings claims, which fell far short of Musk’s initial boast. Several media organizations, including CNN, also found notable errors on DOGE’s site, which lists $215 billion in estimated savings through its last update on January 1 and includes savings beyond the “Wall of Receipts” list of contracts, leases and grants.
DOGE was a key player in President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the federal government in his second term. It embedded staffers throughout federal agencies to look for ways to curtail spending, including by ending various programs and obligations.
The GAO looked at $110 billion worth of contracts, grants and leases that DOGE reported on the site between January 20, 2025 and July 7.
Notably, the watchdog agency found that 108 of the 264 leases identified for termination were already in the process of ending before DOGE was created shortly after Trump took office. DOGE overstated savings from leases by more than $80 million.
Also, DOGE did not provide accurate information on contract terminations. GAO found that more than half of contracts listed on the site were either not ended or DOGE did not provide enough information to determine their status.
The basis for some claimed savings — such as $1.7 billion on a Department of Defense contract that was never terminated — is unknown, the watchdog agency said.
Plus, DOGE did not provide enough details to verify its methodology used to determine 96% of grant savings, nor did it use its stated methodology to calculate the savings from a majority of contracts reported as terminated.
US DOGE Service officials did not respond to GAO’s requests for more information. The DOGE initiative was scheduled to sunset last month, though some of its staffers are continuing to work for various federal agencies.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
The report was requested by Democratic Senators Gary Peters of Michigan and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. They bashed DOGE and the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal government.
“Everyone supports rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, but DOGE was a slapdash and deceptive effort that misled the American people while doing real damage to the government’s ability to serve them,” Peters said in a statement.
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