GAO audit finds Doge's claimed $110 bn savings lack evidence
The Government Accountability Office reported that Doge's reported savings were largely unsupported and its calculation methods were not transparent.
A Government Accountability Office review released Thursday concluded that many of Doge's reported savings, including the $110 bn shown on its “Wall of Receipts,” were either incorrect or could not be substantiated. The audit, covering data from January 2025 to July 2026, said Doge did not provide enough information to verify how it calculated 96 % of the claimed savings. It noted that 108 of 264 leases Doge listed for termination were already scheduled to end before the agency was created, and that a claimed $1.7 bn saving from ending a Department of Defense IT contract never materialised because the contract was not terminated.
"While Doge provided some information about estimated savings, several issues limit the transparency and reliability of these reported savings," the GAO report stated. "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 added. The watchdog audit was requested by Democratic senators and followed Doge’s closure last month. A White House official said the administration had told the GAO that all employees were required to complete ethics training and financial disclosure requirements. Senator Gary Peters said the effort misled the public and harmed government operations. Doge, launched during President Trump’s second term and led until May 2025 by Elon Musk, had pledged to cut federal spending dramatically but fell short of its own estimates, which claimed $214 bn in savings.