GAO finds major errors in Department of Government Efficiency's reported savings
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The Government Accountability Office reported that the department's "Wall of Receipts" overstated savings by billions and lacked supporting evidence, prompting recommendations for greater transparency.
The Government Accountability Office released a report Thursday indicating that the Department of Government Efficiency's "Wall of Receipts" contained numerous inaccuracies and unverified claims about taxpayer savings. The GAO determined that $110 billion in savings reported by the agency between Jan. 20, 2025, and July 7, 2026, were either incorrect or not backed by documentation.
Among the findings, 108 of the 264 leases the agency said it terminated had already been slated for elimination before the department was created in January 2025. The GAO also noted that a claimed $1.7 billion saving from a Pentagon Defense Health Agency IT contract was never realized, as the contract was not terminated nor its funding reduced.
The investigation, requested by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Gary Peters, covered contracts, grants and leases listed by the department. It highlighted a lack of transparency, with the agency failing to disclose the methodology used to calculate most of its reported savings. For grants, the GAO said it could not verify the method behind 96 percent of the claimed savings.
"Everyone supports rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, but DOGE was a slapdash and deceptive effort that misled the American people while doing real damage to the government's ability to serve them," Peters said.
The GAO recommended that the department prominently display data-quality limitations on the Wall of Receipts and provide clearer documentation of how savings are calculated. The department, which ceased operations on July 4, did not respond to GAO requests for additional information or interviews.