How well is DOGE doing in reducing wasteful government spending 100 days after President Trump jump-started its efforts? The President renamed and retasked the 12-year-old executive branch agency on January 20, 2025, to identify and eliminate fiscal waste within the federal government. DOGE became very visible thanks to the involvement of billionaire Elon Musk, who serves as a temporary government employee advising the service.
Despite that visibility, answering the question of how much money it has saved to date is challenging.
If you go to DOGE’s website, it reports $160 billion worth of savings, or almost $994 per taxpayer. However, Jordan Green of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reviewed the receipts posted at the site, finding they summed up to be over $61 billion, leaving around $100 billion yet to be fully accounted for.
Related: Christopher Rufo: Washington Got the Better of Elon Musk. The tech tycoon’s Department of Government Efficiency was prevented from achieving its full reform agenda.