Elon Musk’s DOGE Service recently claimed it saved $55 billion by cutting federal spending. However, a detailed analysis raises questions about the accuracy of these savings. Critics argue that the reported savings might be inflated due to incomplete data and misinterpretation of contracts.
DOGE’s goal is to reduce the size of the federal government. To achieve this, representatives from DOGE have been dispatched to more than a dozen agencies. Their mission is to assess federal programs and reduce staff numbers. These actions have sparked concerns that essential government functions are being negatively impacted.
Initially, DOGE’s website highlighted several contracts and lease cancellations as evidence of savings. However, a deeper dive into the list of canceled contracts reveals several problems. A Washington Post analysis found that many of the canceled contracts had already been completed. As a result, canceling them did not actually result in any savings.
Additionally, DOGE’s website has changed its data multiple times. For example, it originally reported $8 billion in savings from a terminated contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Later, the website corrected the figure to $8 million. DOGE claims it used the correct $8 million figure all along, but the earlier inflated number raised doubts.
Some of the contracts listed by DOGE involve indefinite delivery vehicles (IDVs). These contracts often list a maximum amount, but the government doesn’t always spend the full amount. Yet, DOGE has counted the maximum value as savings. Experts say this method of calculation could skew the results.
A White House official defended DOGE’s approach, stating that these contracts could hit their maximum amount. They argued that it was reasonable to count the full amount as potential savings. Despite this, many experts remain unconvinced by DOGE’s claims.
Ultimately, DOGE Service’s $55 billion savings claim is under heavy scrutiny. The initial data and adjustments made to the savings estimates cast doubt on the accuracy of the reported figures. As a result, observers are questioning whether the true savings are as significant as DOGE suggests.
DOGE Service’s savings claim faces growing skepticism as critics point out discrepancies and inflated numbers.
