Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has made its latest blunder in attempting to obscure details on its website, despite earlier promises of transparency. The group, which aims to overhaul government processes, had previously included identifying details about cuts it took credit for, but has now deleted these identifiers from the code.
The move is a setback for the organization’s efforts to provide accurate information about the grants it terminates and the savings it claims to have achieved. At least five of the 20 largest “savings” appear to be exaggerated, according to federal data and interviews with the nonprofits whose grants were on the list.
Nonprofits said these grants often contain a ceiling value — an upper limit on what the government might pay. However, in some cases, the actual payments are worked out separately and often total far less.
The Department of Government Efficiency’s lack of transparency has raised concerns among critics, who argue that the group is not providing enough information to support its claims. “Descriptions are forthcoming,” the group’s website said after it added 2,800 more entries to the list of terminated grants.
However, even with this new update, the descriptions for these grants remain elusive. The group published another update on Wednesday, which brought the total number of terminated grants listed to 7,488, totaling $17 billion in claimed savings.
“This is not transparency; it’s confusion,” said Gary Kalman, executive director of Transparency International U.S. “They are saying that they are doing things that are long overdue and widely supported by the public. If that’s true, then wouldn’t you want to make sure that you’re touting the cuts that you make?”
The Department of Government Efficiency’s actions have sparked debate about the importance of transparency in government initiatives. While some argue that the group’s efforts could lead to cost savings and improved efficiency, others believe that the lack of transparency undermines trust in these initiatives.
As one nonprofit executive said, “It could have been savings, but only if it could have been spent. We had no promise of it.” The Department of Government Efficiency needs to provide more information to support its claims and restore public trust in its efforts.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/us/politics/doge-errors-funding-grants-claims.html