DOGE seems to have hallucinated government savings, like $1.7 billion from a contract it never canceled

A recent audit by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has revealed critical flaws in the estimated savings figures touted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to the auditors, 108 out of the 264 leases listed for termination on DOGE's Wall of Receipts were already in the process of being terminated when the department was created.

Additionally, DOGE incorrectly reported a substantial $1.7 billion in savings from a Department of Defense contract for IT services, despite no action being taken to terminate the contract, thereby failing to achieve any savings. The GAO noted that DOGE lacked transparency in the methodologies used to calculate these savings, failing to provide adequate information when requested by the auditors.

This lack of transparency and the presence of data quality issues significantly limit the Wall of Receipts' value for policymakers. The GAO concluded by stating that unreliable government data can undermine public trust in governmental operations. DOGE had been actively reporting savings of up to $110 billion across various contracts, grants, and leases since its inception on February 17, 2025.

The department was established under President Donald Trump's executive order, which sunset its operations on July 4. Initially led by Musk, the role was later relinquished following just a few months of operation. Democratic Senators Gary Peters of Michigan and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut requested the GAO report, expressing concerns over DOGE's haphazard and deceptive approach, which they argued caused significant damage to the government's capacity to serve its citizens.