DOGE’s savings claims unravel as Musk’s cost-cutting drive faces backlash 

Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) has been criticized after it stealthily removed the five largest items from its “wall of receipts” following revelations that its savings claims were misleading. Originally touted as a major public display of government cost-cutting, the initiative has been marred by errors, confusion, and a lack of transparency.

Musk’s savings claims unravel

DOGE, Musk’s initiative to slash federal government spending, initially claimed to have saved $65 billion, a sharp rise from its previous estimate of $55 billion. However, following an investigation, several of the largest “savings” listed on the site were quietly deleted, reducing the itemized savings from $16.6 billion to $9.6 billion. The White House has refrained from offering further details on the cuts, with a spokesperson only confirming that Musk’s initiative “identified billions of dollars in savings.” The New York Times first reported the deletions, which have since become a major embarrassment for the initiative.

Errors and confusion: A closer look at the savings

The most glaring error involved a supposed $8 billion savings to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which was later corrected to $8 million. This discrepancy points to the broader issue of inaccuracies in DOGE’s claims. Additionally, three cuts of $655 million each to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) were revealed to be a single cut erroneously counted three times. The largest “saving” that disappeared was a $1.9 billion cut at the Treasury Department, based on a contract cancellation from the previous year, during the Biden administration.

The fallout and lack of accountability

The “wall of receipts,” the only public-facing element of Musk’s efficiency drive, was intended to provide transparency about the cost-saving measures. However, the removal of key savings claims has raised concerns about the initiative’s true effectiveness and accountability. The focus on flashy numbers and dramatic cuts has been overshadowed by these errors and the lack of meaningful savings.

Musk’s ambitious cost-cutting drive has faced serious setbacks, with multiple errors and misleading claims causing public confusion. While DOGE initially promised major savings, recent developments suggest that the initiative is struggling to meet its own high expectations.