DOGE overstated savings on federal ‘receipts’ website, auditors find
Summary
Federal auditors found that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), launched under President Trump and initially led by Elon Musk, overstated its reported savings and lacked clear evidence. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that many savings claims were inaccurate or duplicated existing efforts, reducing the reliability of the savings data provided to lawmakers and the public.Key Facts
- DOGE posted estimated government savings on a web page called the Wall of Receipts starting February 2025.
- As of July 7, 2025, DOGE claimed $110 billion in savings across contracts, grants, and leases.
- The GAO found that 108 of 264 leases marked for termination were already being ended before DOGE began.
- DOGE claimed $1.7 billion savings on a Department of Defense contract, but the contract was never terminated, so no savings occurred.
- DOGE did not provide clear methods for how it calculated savings and failed to respond to GAO’s information requests.
- The GAO said these data problems limit the usefulness of DOGE’s savings reports for policymakers and could reduce public trust.
- DOGE was created by a presidential order from President Trump, but it ended operations on July 4, 2025.
- Elon Musk initially led DOGE but stepped down after a few months.
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