In a bold move to streamline federal spending, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a key financial backer of Donald Trump, advocated for the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This initiative aimed to root out waste and fraud in the federal budget. However, the ambitious project, which promised to cut at least $2 trillion from the budget, has resulted in chaos rather than efficiency.
At the start, Musk’s vision seemed promising. He projected a reduction of $2 trillion from federal expenses, a claim that was later revised to $1 trillion. The actual savings reported by DOGE, however, are a mere $170 billion, just 8% of the original promise. The department’s credibility has been severely damaged by errors, exaggerations, and falsehoods in its financial calculations.
DOGE’s efforts to substantiate its savings have been unsatisfactory. The department’s “Wall of Receipts” shows that only 42% of its line items include documentation. Many entries are marked as “currently unavailable,” and numerous claims have been rescinded after scrutiny by journalists.
The fallout from the department’s chaotic operations has been costly. According to the Partnership for Public Service, the expenses associated with rehiring essential employees mistakenly fired, paid leave for furloughed staff, and lost productivity amount to $135 billion this year. This figure excludes legal costs from lawsuits challenging the department’s actions.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted that one-fifth of the 10,000 experts fired from his agency were let go by mistake. The indiscriminate cuts have also affected vaccine distribution, with Texas vaccine opponents reversing progress on measles prevention.
The Yale Budget Lab estimates that reductions at the IRS will result in $8 billion in lost revenue this year and $323 billion over a decade. Even if 80% of DOGE’s claimed reductions were accurate, the department is costing taxpayers more than it saves.
DOGE has failed to uncover significant fraud. A false claim by a junior official that 40% of Social Security calls were fraudulent was debunked by Trump’s acting Social Security Commissioner, who stated the actual fraud rate was 0.006%. DOGE’s misguided actions have increased call hold times without addressing genuine fraud.
The department has also made numerous accounting errors, such as double-counting canceled contracts and misreporting savings from expired grants. It canceled nearly 500,000 government credit cards and counted their total credit limits as cost reductions, further damaging its credibility.
DOGE’s mission seems to go beyond reducing inefficiencies, aiming to demoralize the federal workforce. Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, expressed a desire for federal workers to feel vilified. Such rhetoric has negatively impacted morale and productivity, particularly at the Veterans Administration.
The indiscriminate defunding of research has long-term consequences. DOGE has slashed budgets for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, hindering medical and technological advancements. Forbes estimates that these cuts will reduce economic output by $10 billion annually.
The geopolitical implications are also concerning. As the U.S. reduces its investment in scientific research, China continues to produce more science and technology PhDs. This shift threatens America’s scientific leadership and economic competitiveness.
While reducing waste is a noble goal, the approach taken by DOGE has been more destructive than constructive. As Musk deals with issues at Tesla, the department’s failures highlight the need for expertise and patience in reforming complex bureaucracies.
Note: This article is inspired by content from https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/may/24/personal-finance-how-the-department-of-government/. It has been rephrased for originality. Images are credited to the original source.