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DOGE began posting its estimated savings on a web page known as
the Wall of Receipts. Lawmakers asked the Government
Accountability Office to evaluate the accuracy of the estimates,
and the watchdog found them lacking in some cases.
Auditors found that 108 of 264 leases identified for termination
on the Wall of Receipts were already in the process of
termination when DOGE was established. In another case, DOGE
reported $1.7 billion in savings on a Department of Defense
contract for IT services, but in the end, no action was taken to
terminate the contract, so no savings were achieved.
More broadly, DOGE was not transparent regarding the
methodologies used to calculate savings. The GAO said DOGE
officials did not respond to requests for information. The
report concluded by saying the data quality issues found limit
the value of the Wall of Receipts for policymakers.
“In addition, when government data are not reliable, it can
hinder the public’s trust in government,” the report stated.
DOGE began posting its estimated savings on Feb. 17, 2025, and
had reported savings of $110 billion as of July 7 across a wide
range of contracts, grants and leases. President Donald Trump's
executive order establishing DOGE sunset its operations on July
4. Billionaire Musk initially led its operations, but stepped
back from that role after just a few months.
Democratic Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Richard Blumenthal
of Connecticut requested the GAO report. Peters said everyone
supports rooting out waste and fraud, but DOGE was a slapdash
and deceptive effort that did real damage to the government's
ability to serve Americans.
“Elon Musk and the Trump Administration claimed billions of
dollars in savings it could not substantiate, took credit for
work already underway, and refused to show its work, all while
putting Americans’ sensitive data at risk and hollowing out
critical agencies,” Peters said in response to the report.
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