President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency made grand claims about the savings it earned taxpayers — but much of those never came to pass.
A new audit by the Government Accountability Office, the feds’ chief investigative agency, said DOGE took credit for cuts already in the pipeline, exaggerated some claims and couldn’t provide evidence for others.
All told, of the $110.3 billion that DOGE claimed to have saved, the GAO said it found solid support for only 4% of those claims.
In one case, DOGE said it got the Defense Department’s health agency to nix a $1.7 billion technology contract, but GAO investigators said the contract was never cut or reduced.
“Thus, no savings were achieved,” the GAO said.
DOGE also claimed credit for ending 264 leases, but 108 of them were already in the pipeline before the White House office was even established, the GAO said.
Congressional Democrats, who requested the report, said it confirmed their fears.
“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,” said Sen. Gary Peters, Michigan Democrat.
DOGE was the brainchild of Mr. Trump and buddy Elon Musk, who headed the office in the early months of the new administration.
It sent staffers throughout the government, including to so-called independent agencies, to demand access to computer systems and data, which were used to try to spot places — and personnel — to cut.
DOGE kept a running scorecard on its “Wall of Receipts,” where it claimed the more than $110 billion in savings.
That included termination of 13,476 contracts.
But GAO investigators pored over contract data and could confirm only 43% of those were ended or trimmed.
In another 45% of cases, the GAO said the contract wasn’t terminated at all. And in 12% of cases, there wasn’t enough data in DOGE’s public presentation to figure out the status of the contract.
When investigators dug into specific projects, they also found the savings didn’t add up.
For example, DOGE claimed credit for cutting more than half of a $43.5 million Air Force financial management contract. But investigators said the service branch awarded a new contract, in virtually the same amount as the savings, to the same firm, for the same work.
In another instance, DOGE said it got the Air Force to cut $4 billion from its $12.5 billion Base Infrastructure Modernization plans. But the GAO said the Air Force actually agreed to $3.75 billion — investigators couldn’t account for the $250 million gap — and even then, military officials were skeptical the savings would come about.
An official told the GAO that the Air Force may have to award a new contract to make up for the services lost.
The GAO said it tried to get DOGE’s cooperation for the report but was rebuffed.
DOGE in early July announced that it ceased operations.
The Washington Times has sought comment from the White House.
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