Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has updated its “wall of receipts”, now claiming to have saved US taxpayers an estimated $105 billion. However, the department’s own records show a much smaller amount.

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According to DOGE’s figures, the total savings come to about $19 billion. This includes $8 billion from cancelled contracts, $10 billion from grants that were stopped, and $660 million from terminated leases. The department also claims that these actions have saved $652.17 per US taxpayer, though this number appears to be much higher than what the data supports.

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Concerns over accuracy

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Since its launch, DOGE has faced close scrutiny, especially after its first receipts wall contained major errors. One of the biggest mistakes involved a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) contract. DOGE initially claimed it had saved $8 billion, but the actual contract was only worth $8 million.

The department quickly corrected this and other mistakes, but it has not explained why its estimated savings are much higher than what its website can verify. DOGE updates its records weekly and has promised to introduce real-time updates soon.

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Old cancellations counted as new savings

A report by The New York Times found that DOGE has taken credit for contract cancellations from decades ago. One example listed on its website was $53.7 million in savings from a US Coast Guard contract that was actually cancelled in 2005 during George W. Bush’s presidency.

The report also suggested that DOGE has been removing incorrect claims only to replace them with new ones. While there are many contracts for taxpayers to keep track of, experts who study government spending have noticed these mistakes.

Lisa Shea Mundt, an analyst at The Pulse of GovCon, said many of DOGE’s claimed savings do not count as actual savings.

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“These are not savings,” she told the Times. “The money’s been spent. Period. Point blank.”

Questions about the team’s experience

The Times also raised concerns about whether DOGE’s staff are qualified to handle complex government contracts. Many of the department’s young employees have ties to Musk’s companies, but may not have enough experience with federal budgeting and contracts.

“The mistakes also seem to call into question the team members’ competence—whether they understand the government well enough to cut it while avoiding catastrophe,” the report stated.

Musk has said that mistakes will happen but will be fixed quickly. However, some of these errors may have serious consequences.

A former USAID official warned that some of DOGE’s actions could have put lives at risk. Musk confirmed at a Cabinet meeting last week that DOGE had briefly cut funding for Ebola prevention, though he said the funding was restored quickly.

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The department also came under criticism after it was revealed that 400,000 boxes of USAID-branded “Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food” were stuck in a warehouse in Georgia because of budget cuts. These food packages are meant to help malnourished children in crisis areas.

Jon Favreau, former Barack Obama speechwriter and co-host of Pod Save America, criticised Musk over the issue. “Kids will die because Elon Musk starved them of food we already paid for,” Favreau wrote.

Musk responded by calling Favreau “an imbecilic propagandist who lies to score cheap political points” but later admitted the funding cut had happened. He said the decision had been reversed.

(With inputs from agencies)