Trump says DOJ got fraud referrals from Elon Musk’s DOGE

President Donald Trump told ABC News on Tuesday that the Department of Justice received fraud referrals based on work done by the Department of Government Efficiency, the federal cost-cutting agency created and led by Elon Musk.

Trump was asked directly if any referrals were sent from DOGE’s investigations, and he said, “Of course there have been.” He didn’t name anyone. No offices. No departments. Just said the referrals exist.

And he didn’t say it once. He repeated it many times, sticking to the same words each time he was pushed — classic Trump. No more details. No breakdowns. But that confirmation puts DOGE deeper into the middle of this administration’s crackdown on bloated government systems.

The Department of Government Efficiency has been wrecking through federal programs. Since January 20, over 200,000 federal workers have been fired. Whole agencies got torn down or stripped to skeletons. Legal fights broke out as soon as the firings began, with multiple challenges already in motion.

DOGE cuts through agencies while Elon steps back

Musk, whose title is “special government employee,” has been running DOGE from the inside. That role, however, ends in May—130 days after it started. Musk told reporters he won’t continue in the same role full-time, but he still plans to help Trump overhaul departments from the outside.

The fact that Musk is stepping down makes the future of DOGE unclear. Without its loudest enforcer, no one knows who’s calling the shots. But people close to Trump say the cost-cutting won’t stop. The mission stays on track whether Musk stays or not. What happens to its leadership next is still undecided.

The entire campaign has pissed off critics, who say the cuts are reckless and cruel. They argue DOGE has endangered key sectors like emergency services and foreign aid. But Trump and Musk say this is what it takes to wipe out corruption, overspending, and useless programs.

DOGE, which has been updating its progress on its official website, claims it has saved $160 billion for U.S. taxpayers. That site, though, has been full of errors. Numbers posted keep getting edited, retracted, or corrected. The goal? Save $2 trillion. So far, they’re nowhere near that number.

U.S. Treasury borrowing drops under DOGE’s knife

A new report reposted Tuesday by DOGE’s X account (formerly Twitter) used data from the U.S. Treasury Department to show that the federal government’s borrowing needs had dropped. 

Specifically, for the second quarter of 2025, borrowing needs came in $53 billion below what was expected back in February. The change was directly linked to DOGE’s work cutting down operating costs across agencies.

The Treasury, in its Q2 and Q3 calendar update, added a note confirming that “the current quarter borrowing estimate is $53 billion lower than announced in February.” 

That’s not a small drop. It’s connected to DOGE’s slashes in budget lines and personnel. And while it’s not solving everything, it’s clearly slowing down the rate of government borrowing—at least for now.

The Treasury said tax receipts are “slightly above prior-year levels,” and spending is hanging near the bottom end of the historical range. The full statement added: “Fiscal flows year-to-date are coming in better than expected (thank you, DOGE).

Gross receipts are tracking slightly above prior-year levels (adjusted for CBO forecasts for 2025), while outlays are closer to the bottom of the historical range, although sadly nowhere near enough to make a notable impression over the long term.”

So DOGE is saving money, just not fast enough to fix everything. But it’s chipping away, and that’s enough for Trump to stay committed to it.

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