This week, for the first time, the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, disclosed on a website the amount it has saved by canceling government contracts.
DOGE website claims $55 billion in savings, but according to the data posted on the site, it only accounted for $16.6 billion, Bloomberg reports.
DOGE’s accuracy on the line
The contracts published on the website raise questions about the accuracy of the tally. The New York Times found an error in its list of contracts.
On Monday, the website showed that DOGE saved taxpayers $8 billion by canceling a single US Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract that was worth $8 million.
On closer inspection, NYT found that a federal database showed the contract, approved in September 2022, was initially listed for $8 billion. But in January of this year, the figure was updated to $8 million.