Additional Coverage:
- DOGE announces results from its first 80 hours of work — and it’s way behind schedule (newsbreak.com)
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claims to have cancelled $420 million in government contracts and leases in just 80 hours. If this pace continues, DOGE could cut roughly $67 billion annually. This represents only a small fraction of Musk’s initial $2 trillion, or even his revised $1 trillion, federal budget reduction target.
Calculations suggest DOGE is cancelling about $126 million in contracts daily. However, maintaining this rate over the next 530 days, DOGE’s projected lifespan, remains uncertain. The agency’s operations are still evolving, and many details are unclear.
President Trump’s executive order placed DOGE within the White House and outlined its integration into federal agencies. However, congressional approval is still required for any budgetary changes.
DOGE stated its focus is on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) contracts and vacant buildings. No further details are available, and the information remains unverified. Requests for comment from Musk, Trump, DOGE representatives, and the General Services Administration have gone unanswered.
The $420 million figure is noteworthy given Musk’s known affinity for the number, often associated with marijuana. This echoes previous instances where the number has appeared in Musk’s business dealings, from Tesla’s stock price to his Twitter acquisition.
Despite a shift in DOGE’s stated mission towards modernizing government IT systems, the recent announcement aligns with its initial cost-cutting and deregulation focus. The group continues to target perceived wasteful spending.