A factual record of taxpayer-money savings claimed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), compared with verified outcomes from independent reporting.
JANUARY 2025 – DOGE Launches, First Round of Claims
DOGE Announcement: Trump administration and Elon Musk roll out the “Department of Government Efficiency,” posting an initial “Wall of Receipts.”
Claim: DOGE states it has already produced $25–30 billion in savings from canceled federal contracts.
Verified Reality: Most contracts were either:
already completed,
had minimal remaining obligations, or
were “ceiling-value” framework agreements with no guaranteed spending.
Independent Estimates:
Actual confirmed savings:under $1 billion
Zero-savings contracts: roughly one-third of items listed (NPR, AP, Reuters)
FEBRUARY 2025 – Major Data Errors Emerge
Claim: DOGE raises its advertised total to $54.2 billion in claimed savings.
Findings:
An ICE contract listed as $8 billion was actually $8 million.
A USAID contract for $655 million appears to be listed three separate times.
Numerous contracts had obligation amounts far smaller than listed.
Some contracts were canceled after completion, producing zero financial return.
Independent Estimates:
Realistic savings:$1.2–$1.4 billion
Contracts producing no savings: nearly 40% (CNBC, NPR, AP, WDTV)
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