DOGE reports $115 billion in taxpayer savings

CV NEWS FEED // The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, reports saving $115 billion in less than two months by cutting wasteful spending and eliminating fraud.

According to DOGE’s website, the savings came from several measures including canceled contracts, terminated grants, workforce reductions, and eliminating fraudulent payments.

The total breaks down to about $714.29 per taxpayer, based on an estimated 161 million federal taxpayers. 

The largest savings came from the General Services Administration (GSA), followed by cuts at the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Roughly 30% of the $115 billion is already documented on DOGE’s website through a growing list of “receipts.” Key figures include $20 billion saved from canceled federal contracts and $17 billion from eliminated non-essential grants.

DOGE says it is updating the platform weekly to provide “digestible and transparent” evidence of every cut.

Since its launch in late January, DOGE has prioritized tackling the $2 trillion federal deficit and rooting systemic waste, fraud, and abuse.

“If we don’t do something about this deficit, the country’s going bankrupt,” Musk said from the Oval Office last month. “It’s not optional for us to reduce the federal expenses. It’s essential.”

Within weeks of its creation, DOGE reported saving over $1 billion by terminating tax-payer-funded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies. 

Another major cut came from the termination of 21 contracts by US Customs and Border Protection, amounting to more than $4.9 billion.

Beyond contracts and grants, DOGE has also uncovered widespread waste and fraud across various agencies.

In early February, DOGE exposed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for spending $59 million to house illegal immigrants in New York City’s luxury hotels.

Musk also revealed DOGE’s discovery that the Social Security database listed tens of millions of individuals over 100 years old, opening the door to rampant fraud. Between 2020 and 2021, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued more than 3,000 loans totaling $333 million to applicants over the age of 115. 

After the discovery, the SBA began requiring birthdate verification and paused loan approvals for applicants under 18 or over 120. 

President Donald Trump praised DOGE’s work in a recent interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News, pointing to the agency’s crackdown on government waste.

“Look at the fraud that we’ve caught. We’ve caught so much fraud, so much waste, so many employees that never showed up to work,” Trump said.