GAO: DOGE Misled Public on Savings, $34.6 Billion in Contract Cuts Unverified

Published Aug 6, 08:50 PM UTC

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) significantly overstated its claimed savings on its public 'Wall of Receipts' website. The watchdog determined that roughly $34.6 billion of the $61 billion in claimed contract savings came from contracts that were never terminated or could not be verified. Nearly 2,000 of 13,476 listed contracts were not actually cancelled, including a $1.7 billion Defense Health Agency contract that DOGE agreed not to terminate. Additionally, 96.2% of estimated grant savings could not be verified, and lease savings were overstated by $81.1 million, with many leases identified for termination before DOGE existed. The report, requested by Senators Peters and Blumenthal, highlighted DOGE's failure to use consistent methodology or respond to GAO inquiries. The findings cast doubt on DOGE's overall claim of $215 billion in savings.