The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a report finding issues that limit the transparency and reliability of the savings reported by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The audit covered savings data reported by the body from January 20, 2025, through July 7, 2026.

DOGE, which was not an official US government department, initially promised to slash $2 trillion in US federal spending. Elon Musk formerly led the body before leaving in May 2025.

The GAO stated that DOGE did not provide sufficient information to verify the method used to calculate 96% of its reported savings. The agency also noted that DOGE did not respond to requests for information and interviews.

Discrepancies in contracts and leases

DOGE claimed $110 billion in savings on an online 'Wall of Receipts' through cuts to contracts, grants, and leases. However, the GAO found that no termination action was taken on 2,503 of the 13,476 contracts DOGE claimed to have terminated. This included a claim of $1.7 billion in savings for terminating a US Department of Defense IT services contract that was never actually terminated.

Regarding leases, the GAO reported that savings from 264 leases cut by DOGE actually summed to $53.5 million. Of the 264 leases identified by DOGE, 108 were already in the termination process before the body was established. Those 108 leases accounted for approximately $15.3 million of the claimed savings.

96%

Of reported DOGE savings for which the GAO could not verify calculation methods

Total savings claims

DOGE reported different totals for its estimated savings. One source states DOGE tallied $215 billion in cuts including additional categories, while another source states the DOGE website claimed an estimated savings of $214 billion.

The GAO report was requested by US Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Richard Blumenthal. Senator Gary Peters stated that DOGE was 'a slapdash and deceptive effort that misled the American people'.

In a separate development, the Trump administration sought to re-hire US Department of Agriculture bird flu officials days after they were fired due to DOGE's cost-cutting.