Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, in its mission to significantly cut federal expenditures last year, rolled out a dedicated website showcasing the claimed financial savings being passed onto taxpayers.
However, a recent assessment from the U.S. Government Accountability Office has cast doubt on these claims, revealing that the touted $110 billion savings might be remarkably overstated and lacking in credibility.
In its findings, the report highlighted that the Department of Government Efficiency was unable to substantiate 96% of its purported savings stemming from the cancellation of various grants.
Despite a commitment to full transparency, the investigation uncovered that the agency did not adhere to its prescribed methodology in calculating nearly half of the savings it reported.
“Due to the absence of a response from U.S. DOGE Service officials regarding information requests, GAO could not ascertain why DOGE failed to disclose issues related to data quality and limitations both at the site’s launch and thereafter,” the report elaborated.
The report also found DOGE failed to terminate some of the contracts it claimed to have canceled. According to the report, $27.4 billion in claimed savings was never executed, and DOGE did not provide identifying information for another $7.2 billion in claimed savings.
DOGE also claimed $1.7 billion in savings from an IT services contract for the Defense Department’s Defense Health Agency, but the report said no changes were ever made.
The report also said DOGE claimed savings from millions of dollars in leases that had already been identified for termination.
Musk has since left DOGE. ABC News reached out to Musk and the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Although DOGE formally ended on July 4, its “Wall of Receipts” remains online, claiming a total of $215 billion in taxpayer savings.
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