Why It Matters

The Trump Administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claimed to save taxpayers $110 billion through terminations and modifications of federal contracts, grants, and real estate leases. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, published Aug. 6, found those figures to be unsupported, and that DOGE refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Federal agencies obligated more than $2 trillion for contracts, grants, and leases in fiscal year 2025. According to the report, DOGE's public accounting on its "Wall of Receipts" contains incorrect estimates, lacks supporting evidence, and fails to disclose data limitations that would allow the public to assess the credibility of its claims.

The Big Picture

DOGE's claimed savings, posted its Wall of Receipts, does not hold up to scrutiny across any of the three spending categories examined.

  • On contracts, DOGE did not use its stated methodology to calculate the majority of savings associated with contracts reported as terminated. DOGE reported $1.7 billion in savings on that contract, but no action was ever taken to terminate it or reduce its scope, value, or funding; therefore, no savings were received. The $1.7 billion figure remained on the Wall of Receipts regardless.
  • On grants, DOGE did not provide sufficient information to verify the methodology used to calculate 96 percent of its reported grant savings.
  • On leases, the Wall of Receipts includes no explanation of how savings from terminated leases were calculated.

When GAO attempted to examine these issues, U.S. DOGE Service officials did not respond to requests for additional information or interviews.

The Bottom Line

GAO made one recommendation: that the Executive Office of the President ensure that known data quality issues and limitations are displayed on the Wall of Receipts. The recommendation remains open.

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