politics

When Donald Trump took office in 2025, DOGE's head at the time, Elon Musk, had pledged to cut spending by $2 trillion

With the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created to overhaul federal spending, slamming reports that it has been dissolved, enhanced scrutiny had grown on the savings the agency could achieve during its tenure.

Addressing reports of its dissolution, the agency wrote on X: "As usual, this is fake news from @Reuters. President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernize the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Just last week, DOGE terminated 78 wasteful contracts and saved taxpayers $335M. We’ll be back in a few days with our regularly scheduled Friday update."

How Much Did DOGE Really Save?

DOGE claimed billions in government savings through cancelling contracts, terminating grants and renegotiating leases. According to its website, the department reached $214 billion in savings as of November 24, estimating this to be worth $1,329.19 per taxpayer.

These savings were attributed to "asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions."

However, multiple analyses suggest the real savings fell far below DOGE's own estimates. In February, former Labour Department chief economist Betsy Stevenson said its total at the time was likely between $1 billion and $7 billion, rather than the $55 billion claimed. In August, Politico reported that of $32.7 billion in contract-related savings it could verify, the true figure was closer to $1.4 billion.

A CBS News investigation further found that DOGE had repeatedly inflated the value of cancelled contracts, including one it claimed was worth $8 billion, when the actual amount was $8 million.

How Much Was Spent in Running DOGE

Beyond questions over its accounting, DOGE's actions may have cost the government money rather than saved it. In April, the Partnership for Public Service estimated $135 billion in losses during the department's first 100 days, citing reduced productivity, repeated "fire-and-rehire cycles," and paid leave. The analysis did not include litigation costs or reduced tax revenues linked to cuts at the IRS.

DOGE was also a key driver of government job losses. In a blog post last week, Kupor said 68,000 people had been hired in 2025, while approximately 317,000 employees had departed.

When Donald Trump took office in 2025, DOGE's head at the time, Elon Musk, pledged to cut spending by $2 trillion, later revising the target to $1 trillion. To achieve this reduced figure, DOGE would have needed to deliver savings averaging $55.6 billion a month—far higher than the amounts now believed to have been achieved.