The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, is touting that it has reached $214 billion in federal spending reductions as of October 4, according to its official website (doge.gov/savings).
On the campaign trail in October 2024, when Musk announced his most ambitious target, stating that DOGE could reduce federal spending by "at least $2 trillion." The actual savings has been a subject of considerable argument, with endless debate about economics and market forces, and the way they have been interpreted.
The "Wall of Reciepts"
The site breaks down savings from various categories like asset sales, contract and lease cancellations or renegotiations, fraud elimination, grant terminations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory relief, and workforce reductions. Roughly 30% of this total is detailed in DOGE's "wall of receipts," which lists specific actions such as the termination of 13,440 contracts worth approximately $61 billion, 15,887 grants worth $49 billion, and 264 leases worth $113 million. The remaining savings are unitemized, with DOGE noting that full documentation is delayed due to regulatory requirements and lags in public databases like the Federal Procurement Data System.
