Musk’s DOGE Slashes Savings Target to $150 Billion Amid Criticism of Flawed Accounting

The Department of Government Efficiency, initially promising $2 trillion in cuts, faces scrutiny over inflated claims and data errors as investigations intensify.

Elon Musk has acknowledged that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will likely achieve only $150 billion in savings, a sharp reduction from the $1 trillion goal announced after Trump's election victory.
DOGE's reported savings have been criticized for relying on flawed accounting methods, including double counting, errors in calculations, and attributing savings to canceled contracts that never existed.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has launched an investigation into DOGE's access to sensitive data and the accuracy of its savings claims, following concerns raised by Congressional leaders.
Policy experts, including those from the Cato Institute, have expressed frustration over DOGE’s failure to deliver on its promises, accusing the initiative of overstating progress with unverifiable figures.
The initiative, which originally aimed to cut $2 trillion from federal spending, has faced mounting skepticism as its revised $150 billion target is also being questioned for feasibility.