The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created by President Donald Trump in January, has failed to meet its promise of slashing the federal budget and saving $2 trillion, according to a report by the New York Times. As head Elon Musk prepares to leave his role next month, the agency claims to have saved an estimated $160 billion, but this number is significantly lower than Musk’s original claim of $1 trillion.
A study by the Partnership for Public Service found that the actual cost of making these cuts was around $135 billion this fiscal year. The study also estimated that the Internal Revenue Service would lose $8.5 billion in revenue due to 22,000 employees leaving their jobs.
DOGE’s efforts have been questioned over several contract cancellations and grant awards, including a reported $300 million savings from cancelling a non-existent contract and a cancelled grant worth $1.75 billion for a vaccine nonprofit that had already been paid in full. The agency’s value is also being challenged by its failure to meet Musk’s original promise of saving $150 billion.
As DOGE prepares to end its special government employee role, the government has faced criticism over the costs associated with these cuts and the potential impact on agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service.
Source: https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/04/cost-of-doge-cuts-appear-to-wipe-out-most-of-agencys-reported-savings.html