{"id":2404278,"date":"2025-02-19T13:58:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T18:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/has-doge-really-saved-55-billion-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T14:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T19:00:08","slug":"has-doge-really-saved-55-billion-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/has-doge-really-saved-55-billion-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Has DOGE really saved $55 billion? &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhas-doge-really-saved-55-billion-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2404278&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200c article \u200cdiscusses a \u200dclaim made by the Department of Government Efficiency \u200d(DOGE) that it\u200b has saved American taxpayers $55 billion through various measures like \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/daily-feed-2-6-24\/\" title=\"Daily Feed 02\/06\/24\">fraud \u2062detection<\/a>, contract cancellations, and workforce reductions. However, critics argue that \u200cDOGE&#8217;s methodology for\u2064 calculating these savings is flawed, as it inaccurately assumes that government contracts always pay out thier total value.This means that the reported savings may \u200bbe exaggerated, and a specific instance is\u200b highlighted where\u2063 DOGE incorrectly listed an $8 million contract as an $8\u2062 billion one.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally,\u200d there are concerns about a\u2063 diversity-related contract with the Department of \u2063homeland\u2063 Security,\u2062 which was also misreported, leading \u200cto discrepancies in the overall savings figure. The potential reduction in savings could also be \u2062impacted by plans from\u2063 elon Musk to return a portion of these savings to taxpayers\u2064 as \u2062refunds, raising skepticism about the \u2064feasibility of providing critically\u2064 important payouts to American households.The\u2063 White House has not commented on the matter, further contributing to the ambiguity surrounding \u200bDOGE&#8217;s claims.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Has DOGE really saved $55 billion?<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1991497\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Although the Department of Government Efficiency announced this week that it has saved American taxpayers $55 billion, data reporting procedures at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-biden-budget-would-cut-gdp-by-1-5-over-three-decades\/\" title=\"Analysis: Biden Budget Would Cut GDP By 1.5% Over Three Decades\">federal government make<\/a> it impossible to know precisely how many taxpayer dollars DOGE has actually saved. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Critics quickly accused DOGE of inflating the value of contracts it deemed wasteful after the office  <a href=\"https:\/\/doge.gov\/savings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">claimed <\/a>Wednesday on its website that the agency saved $55 billion through &ldquo;a combination of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doge-uncovers-budget-line-item-issue-that-made-4-7-trillion-in-government-payments-almost-impossible-to-trace\/\" title=\"... Uncovers Budget Line Item Issue That Made .7 Trillion in ... Payments &#039;Almost Impossible&#039; to Trace\">fraud detection\/deletion<\/a>, contract\/lease cancellations, contract\/lease renegotiations, asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes, and regulatory savings.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In its calculations, however, DOGE appears to have incorrectly assumed that government contracts always pay out their full ticket amount.<\/p>\n<p>DOGE determines how much it saves when canceling individual contracts by subtracting the &ldquo;total contract value&rdquo; on procurement documents from the amount the federal government has already spent on the contract. It assumes that all of this leftover funding would necessarily be paid out to contractors, which is not always the case. The total contract value includes all &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dau.edu\/acquipedia-article\/options#:~:text=FAR%202.101(b)%20defines%20%E2%80%9C,the%20term%20of%20the%20contract.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">options<\/a>&rdquo; available to the federal government, which refer to additional costs that the government may choose to take as part of the contract for additional goods or services. Federal agencies do not always exercise these options.<\/p>\n<p>Given this, the amount of money DOGE claims to have saved by canceling a given contract or grant is actually the maximum amount that could have possibly been saved by cutting it.&nbsp;But the savings could also be far less. And the <em>New York Times <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/18\/upshot\/doge-contracts-musk-trump.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reported <\/a>that the office wrongly listed an $8 million contract it canceled as an $8 billion one, padding the topline savings figure DOGE trumpeted this week.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elon Musk pretends to plant the American flag on Mars as he speaks at an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">indoor inauguration parade event<\/a> in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo\/Susan Walsh)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Further muddying the waters, DOGE claimed to have saved $8 billion by canceling a diversity-related Department of Homeland Security professional services contract. The agency later revised the figure down to $8 million after a social media user <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/electricfutures\/status\/1892208146828943618\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">pointed out<\/a> that DOGE&rsquo;s figure did not match government documents. But DOGE did not revise down its topline savings figure, of which the DHS contract was originally a significant part.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, DOGE&rsquo;s deficit reduction could be brought down by a fifth if Musk&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3323344\/musk-teases-doge-dividend-checks-5000-per-household\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">plan <\/a>to return 20% of the agency&rsquo;s savings to Americans in the form of a tax refund check is enacted by the government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Musk claimed the &ldquo;DOGE dividend&rdquo; could ultimately provide American households with $5,000 each. However, budget experts have questioned whether the checks could even come close to providing that amount given how ambitious Musk&rsquo;s goal of slashing $2 trillion is.<\/p>\n<p>The White House did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1991497\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1991497\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did DOGE truly save $55 billion? The Department of Government Efficiency claimed this week that it saved American taxpayers $55 billion, but federal data reporting makes it unclear how much DOGE actually saved. Critics allege that DOGE exaggerated contract values deemed wasteful after the agency stated its savings resulted from various measures like fraud detection and contract cancellations. However, DOGE seems to have mistakenly assumed that all government contracts pay their full value. It calculates savings by subtracting what has been spent from the total contract value, assuming leftover funds would be paid out to contractors, which isn&#8217;t always true since agencies may not exercise all options in contracts. Thus, the claimed savings might be overstated. Additionally, an error led to an $8 million contract being misreported as $8 billion, inflating overall savings figures. Furthermore, a diversity-related DHS contract&#8217;s reported savings were revised down significantly after discrepancies were noted online without adjusting the total claimed savings amount. Musk&#8217;s proposal to return 20% of these supposed savings as tax refunds could further reduce reported deficit reductions; however, experts doubt his ambitious goal of providing substantial checks to households is feasible given the projected cuts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2404279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/elon-musk-DOGE-capitol-hill.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[12577,23466,10680],"class_list":["post-2404278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-cryptocurrency","tag-doge","tag-finance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/elon-musk-DOGE-capitol-hill.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2404278"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2404282,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404278\/revisions\/2404282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2404279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2404278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2404278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2404278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}