Government Auditors Question Evidence Behind DOGE’s $110 Billion Savings Claim

The Government Accountability Office found that the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) Wall of Receipts includes savings estimates that are incorrect or lack supporting evidence, casting doubt on the $110 billion the entity claims it cut from federal spending.

The report examined the DOGE Wall of Receipts, the public ledger the initiative used to display cuts to federal contracts, grants, and leases.

What the GAO Audit of DOGE Found

The GAO published its review on August 6. It assessed savings data DOGE reported from January 20, 2025, through July 7, 2026.

DOGE launched the Wall of Receipts on February 17, 2025, weeks after President Donald Trump created the entity by executive order. According to the report, DOGE listed $110.3 billion in savings as of early July. 

Roughly $61 billion came from contracts and $49.2 billion from grants, according to the audit. However, the report found “issues limiting the transparency and reliability of these reported savings.”

“While the Wall of Receipts includes some information about the data and sources underlying reported savings, it does not sufficiently disclose limitations affecting data quality,” the report read.

Of the 13,476 contracts marked as terminated, more than a quarter carried no identifying details. That left them impossible to check. Only 43% of the reported contract savings were tied to contracts that were actually terminated, in full or in part.

The picture was worse for grants. GAO said DOGE reported 96% of its grant savings without enough information to verify how it calculated the figure.

Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens

Savings That Never Happened

One example stands out. DOGE claimed more than $1.7 billion in savings on a Defense Health Agency technology contract at more than 700 military treatment facilities. GAO found the contract was never touched. So, nothing was actually saved.

Leases told a similar story. Of 264 still listed, 108 were already being wound down before DOGE launched. Real lease savings came to $31.8 million, not the $113 million claimed. The gap left roughly $81 million in savings that never existed. 

GAO urged the Executive Office of the President, working through the US DOGE Service, to display the data’s limitations clearly on the public site. The agency said that DOGE did not respond to its request for information or interviews.

The findings arrive after DOGE quietly collapsed months early and formally ended on July 4. Elon Musk, who once led the effort, has since ruled out repeating it.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights