The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has once again made bold claims about federal savings. However, a recent review by NPR found serious errors in the numbers published on DOGE’s official website. Despite making some corrections, DOGE continues to post inflated figures, raising concerns about transparency and accuracy.
Musk Defends DOGE’s Savings Data
On Tuesday, DOGE updated its “Wall of Receipts” with new figures, increasing its reported savings to $65 billion. However, NPR’s analysis suggests these numbers are exaggerated, with actual verified savings amounting to only $2.3 billion.
During a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Musk defended DOGE’s efforts, stating:
“We won’t be perfect, but when we make mistakes, we’ll fix them very quickly.”
Yet, as of Friday morning, the incorrect figures remained on DOGE’s website, raising concerns about the accuracy of its savings claims.
Inflated Savings and Data Errors
Originally, DOGE claimed $55 billion in savings, with receipts showing $16.5 billion from canceled contracts. However, NPR found several issues with the numbers:
- An $8 billion typo in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract worth just $8 million.
- The inclusion of procurement methods that function like credit lines, misleadingly counted as savings.
- Claims of billions in savings from contracts that were never actually canceled.
After an update, DOGE now claims $65 billion in savings, with nearly 1,200 new receipts showing an additional $4 billion saved. However, NPR’s review shows the actual savings remain around $2.3 billion—barely more than before.
DOGE Quietly Deletes Past Mistakes
Since launching last week, DOGE has removed more than $2.5 billion from its original savings claims. Some of the biggest corrections include:
- A USAID project originally counted three times, reducing claimed savings from $2 billion to $18 million.
- A Social Security contract that wasn’t actually canceled, initially reported as saving $250 million, now revised to just $560,000.
- The $8 billion ICE contract typo was first corrected, then removed entirely.
Christopher Byrne, a retired government contracting officer, criticized DOGE’s handling of errors, saying:
“Mistakes happen, but correcting them quietly while leaving misleading data up is a failure of due diligence.”
New Data, Same Misleading Math
Despite deleting some errors, DOGE’s new savings numbers are still questionable:
- Half of the reported $9.6 billion in savings comes from contracts that weren’t actually canceled.
- A $1.9 billion IRS contract for cybersecurity was recently terminated, but its inclusion in DOGE’s list inflates savings totals.
- DOGE continues counting blanket purchase agreements and indefinite delivery contracts, which experts say shouldn’t be considered savings, as they act like credit lines rather than fixed expenses.
Experts warn that DOGE’s savings numbers may continue to drop as the true costs of contract terminations are accounted for.
Data Mistakes Continue
DOGE’s errors extend beyond overestimating savings. Some receipts link to completely unrelated contracts:
- A Small Business Administration contract for shuttered venues mistakenly linked to a research support contract that wasn’t canceled.
- A National Institutes of Health contract originally listed at $99 million was actually $9.9 million, with less than $1 million in savings.
- A Health and Human Services contract for administrative assistants was mistakenly changed to $150 million in savings, but was linked to a $119,000 refrigerated liquid gases contract instead.
Byrne warns:
“DOGE needs to be accurate to be credible. Right now, they’re flying by the seat of their pants.”
DOGE’s Impact on Government Spending
Even if DOGE’s savings numbers were accurate, they would still be less than 1% of last year’s total federal spending. Congress is currently debating far larger budget measures, including:
- $2 trillion in spending cuts proposed by House Republicans.
- A proposed $4 trillion debt limit increase.
Besides contract cancellations, DOGE has also begun listing savings from federal lease terminations and mass firings of probationary employees. However, these firings are currently being challenged in court, raising legal questions about DOGE’s authority.
