In brief
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has determined that many of the cost‑cutting claims made by the now‑closed Doge organization were incorrect or unsupported. Doge, founded under President Trump and led by billionaire Elon Musk, advertised saving $110bn in contracts, grants and leases, a figure that the GAO says cannot be verified. The watchdog’s report uncovered that a large portion of claimed savings arose from contracts that were already terminated before Doge existed, and that several high‑profile savings numbers were based on contracts that were never ended. Doge’s short‑lived attempt at radically trimming federal spending has instead left a trail of questionable data and potential damage to government operations.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that many of the cost‑cutting figures released by Doge — a now‑defunct watchdog‑style group that claimed to have saved $110 bn of taxpayers money — are either incorrect or not fully supported by evidence.
Doge, which launched in November 2023 under President Trump’s administration and was led by billionaire Elon Musk until mid‑2025, promoted a “Wall of Receipts” that listed alleged savings from cancelled contracts, grants and leases. The GAO found that the body failed to provide clear, verifiable methods for calculating 96 % of those numbers.
The audit highlighted that 108 of 264 alleged lease terminations were already due to conclude before Doge was even formed, accounting for about $15.3 m of the claimed $53.5 m in savings. Musk’s own website even over‑states the group’s impact, claiming $214 bn in savings, a figure far short of the $2 tn target promised in early 2024.
The GAO also pointed out that several specific savings claims – such as a $1.7 bn saving from ending a defense‑sector IT contract – never materialised because those contracts were never terminated.
In a statement issued on its closure, Doge said the mission to eliminate waste would continue, but the GAO warned that the organization had been “slapdash and deceptive,” misleading the public and undermining government service.
Senator Gary Peters (D‑MN) criticized Doge’s approach, saying the group cost taxpayers what it promised and damaged the functioning of essential agencies such as the Department of Agriculture.
The audit covered data from 20 January 2025 to 7 July 2026, and was conducted at the request of Senators Gary Peters and Richard Blumenthal. It remains a cautionary tale about the importance of rigorous, transparent audit processes in governmental fiscal initiatives.
