The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) now claims its waste-shredding measures have netted a staggering $115 billion in savings.
The agency, which has been tasked with cutting waste, fraud, abuse and corruption in the federal government, has updated its figures to reveal the huge sum which comes from a combination of canceling contract leases, stopping fraudulent or improper payment and canceling grants.
The Elon Musk-led agency has also been cutting workforce numbers and changing various programs.
DOGE said that the estimated $115 billion in savings will save an average of $714.29 per taxpayer. The website bases the average saved per taxpayer off the 2022 figures of 161 million individual income taxpayers.
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However, there were 163.1 million individual income tax returns in the latest tax return year of 2023, according to the IRS, meaning this would put the average saved per taxpayer at $705.09.
DOGE, which has been embraced by Republicans and derided by Democrats, says that the biggest savings have come from theGeneral Services Administration (GSA), followed by the Education Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
For instance, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Tuesday that the agency is terminating $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects while President Donald Trump has set about dismantling the Education Department and has announced mass layoffs at the department. DOGE cuts to the GSA include lease terminations and cuts to support and training programs.
It is unclear exactly where the bulk of the GSA cuts emanate from. The agency manages federal properties, among other services.
Fox News is unable to independently verify all the reported DOGE savings since the agency doesn’t provide a full accounting of their savings; only a partial list.
The agencies with the least savings, DOGE says, are the State Department, followed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Energy Department.
DOGE says more than 5,350 contracts have been terminated, totaling around $20 billion in savings, while nearly 7,500 grants have been nixed, scooping $17 billion in savings.
Nearly 800 leases totaling more than 10 million square feet have been yanked, netting $500 million in lease savings.
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DOGE was created by President Donald Trump through an executive order he signed on Inauguration Day. Under the order, DOGE will be a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months until July 4, 2026, carrying out its mission.
The group has faced criticism over its access to federal systems, including the Treasury Department’s payment system, as well as moves to cancel federal contracts and make cuts at various agencies, including USAID.
Fox News’ Kevin Gora and Eric Revell contributed to this report.
A staggering $115 billion in savings have been saved due to cuts by the Elon-Musk led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the agency claims.
