Billions in purported “savings” touted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have turned out to be phony, according to a new analysis of data released by the group itself.
President Donald Trump has authorized DOGE to go after multiple government agencies to cut supposedly unnecessary spending, but the Associated Press found that nearly 40% of the contracts the group had canceled would lead to no savings for taxpayers at all.
DOGE alleges on its website (which was hacked a few days ago) “savings” amounting to $65 billion, but 794 of the roughly 2,300 posted contracts had already been paid out—meaning there were no savings.
DOGE’s claims—and the subsequent discovery of their drastic inflation—echoes a pattern that Trump has used throughout his time as a politician. For instance, Trump alleged a few days ago that federal contracts to news outlets like the Associated Press, The New York Times, and Politico were “THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL,” and made a big show of canceling these contracts, which have been common practice under Democratic and Republican administrations. DOGE touted these cancellations as “savings,” but the contracts had largely been paid—no money was saved at all.
“It’s like confiscating used ammunition after it’s been shot when there’s nothing left in it. It doesn’t accomplish any policy objective,” Charles Tiefer, an expert on government contracting law and retired professor from the University of Baltimore, explained to AP.
In a similar report, the Wall Street Journal analyzed savings that DOGE claimed were made to cut “woke” spending within the government (a derogatory reference to initiatives meant to further civil rights, something Trump is opposed to). But of the $7 billion DOGE claimed were savings on “woke” and climate-related projects, the cuts amounted to only $2.6 billion and only 2% of those funds were contracts related to diversity initiatives.
A Trump voter recently interviewed by CNN summarized the problem: “Musk keeps saying, ‘Well, I found $1 billion of waste here. And Social Security, there’s hundreds and hundreds of people that are collecting it that are between 100 years old and 150.’ Can you believe any of that crap? He can't substantiate it. You can't believe it. So that's a trust issue.”
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Trump Voter: Musk keeps saying, well, I found $1 billion of waste here. In social security, there’s hundreds and hundreds of people collecting it that are between 100 years old and 150. Can you believe any of that crap? He can't substantiate it. You can't believe it. So that's a trust issue.
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-02-24T21:36:21.785Z
At the same time, the real cuts are having disastrous effects.
The administration has effectively shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development, the longtime agency devoted to shoring up international peace and stability with foreign aid. And that move has cut off a major source of income for American farmers, who received $2.1 billion from USAID in 2020. Many of those farmers are in areas that overwhelmingly voted to support Trump in the 2024 election. Thousands of workers at the agency and affiliated groups have lost their primary source of income, not to mention the thousands around the world who face hardship and possible death because of USAID’s disappearance.
While their actions are creating havoc, the Trump administration has directed nearly $40 million in taxpayer funds to DOGE. Despite the massive infusion of cash, Trump and Musk continue to hide who is working for the group and what their day-to-day activities entail—even as courts continue to rule that they are operating outside of the law.
Voters are already starting to voice opposition to DOGE practices, highlighting the corruption inherent in Trump granting his top campaign donor so much power and access. Administration lawyers have amazingly been arguing in court that Musk isn’t leading the federal layoffs—even as Musk himself proudly takes ownership of them on his social media account.
Just last week, multiple agencies wasted valuable time dealing with a Musk demand that employees continually summarize their weekly activities, triggering some agency heads to say they should not comply due to security and safety concerns. Other agencies dissented and said Musk’s demands must be followed. Musk himself weighed in on Monday, insisting that his capricious order be followed.
DOGE’s falsehoods are one of the most visible products of the Trump and Musk co-presidency, and the public is beginning to sour on it. Recent opinion polling shows that much of the public holds DOGE, Musk, and their actions in low esteem. But so far, Trump shows that he has no intention of stopping his assault.
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