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DOGE claims of saving $110 billion are incorrect and unreliable, GAO says
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) overstated federal spending savings and lacked sufficient evidence to support many claims on its “Wall of Receipts” website.
- The GAO identified errors including overstated lease savings by over $80 million and found that many contracts listed as terminated were either still active or lacked clear status information.
- DOGE's reported $215 billion in estimated savings through January 1 fell far short of Musk’s initial promise to cut $2 trillion in federal spending, with significant methodological shortcomings in calculating grant and contract savings.
- The watchdog agency noted that some savings claims, such as $1.7 billion on a Department of Defense contract, were unsupported or based on contracts never terminated.
- Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Richard Blumenthal criticized DOGE as misleading and damaging to government services, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in federal spending cuts.
