DOGE's 'Wall of Receipts' doesn't add up, government auditors say

Elon Musk became the face of the Department of Government Efficiency.

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The savings claimed by the erstwhile Department of Government Efficiency don't add up, a government watchdog said Thursday.In a new report, the Government Accountability Office, an independent congressional watchdog, said it audited the savings DOGE published on its "Wall of Receipts," an online database showing how much money DOGE says it saved.The "Wall of Receipts" says DOGE saved an estimated $110 billion across the federal government by slashing contracts, leases, and grants.The Government Accountability Office, however, found that some of those savings estimates were "incorrect or lack supporting evidence." It said, for instance, that it found more than 2,500 contracts listed as terminated, totaling $27.4 billion in savings, that had not actually been terminated.The auditor said it also couldn't verify the methodology behind 96% of DOGE's claimed grant savings."While DOGE provided some information about estimated savings, several issues limit the transparency and reliability of these reported savings," the Government Accountability Office said in its report.DOGE launched its "Wall of Receipts" in February 2025, less than a month after President Donald Trump established the cost-cutting agency through an executive order.