Elon Musk’s new initiative, the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), claims to have significantly reduced U.S. government spending since its inception. According to Musk, the department has saved more than $10 billion a week on average since President Trump took office. This adds up to nearly $200 billion, as stated by Trump in an interview with the BBC.
Doge focuses on canceling contracts, grants, and leases established by prior administrations. It also aims to tackle fraud and reduce the size of the government workforce. However, an analysis by BBC Verify raises questions about the accuracy of these savings figures. The department’s website reported a total savings of $160 billion as of April 20, but less than 40% of this amount is supported by detailed evidence.
In October, Musk initially set a goal to cut at least $2 trillion from the federal budget. He later revised this target to $150 billion, aiming for savings through cutting waste and fraud by the end of the 2026 financial year. The total U.S. federal budget for the last financial year was $6.75 trillion.
While Doge publishes a running tally of its claimed savings, BBC Verify found that many of these claims lack documentation. The analysis revealed that only about half of the itemized savings had any supporting evidence. For instance, some significant savings were based on maximum contract values rather than actual spending, which can be misleading.
One of Doge’s largest claimed savings is $2.9 billion from canceling a contract for a facility in Texas designed to house unaccompanied migrant children. However, the figure seems inflated, as the actual savings from early termination were estimated to be around $153 million, based on fixed costs incurred during the contract’s brief duration.
Another notable claimed saving of $1.9 billion came from a contract with the Internal Revenue Service and an IT firm. Yet, the amount spent on this contract was reported as $0, which raises doubts about the accuracy of the claim. Experts suggest that poor record-keeping might explain this discrepancy.
Doge also claims to have saved $1.76 billion by canceling a contract with an IT services company for the Department of Defense. Again, the figure lacks clarity, as no spending was recorded at the time of cancellation. Furthermore, a claimed saving of $1.75 billion from a USAID grant to Gavi, a global health organization, has not been substantiated. Gavi stated it had not received any termination notice regarding the grant.
While Doge may have made strides in cutting government expenses, the lack of solid evidence for its major savings makes it difficult to verify the actual impact. The initiative does not have a dedicated press office, and inquiries to the White House for more information remain unanswered.