DOGE Says It Has Saved $1,000 per Taxpayer

The Elon Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a recent update that it has now helped save $165 billion, amounting to more than $1,000 per taxpayer.

It amounts to around $1,024.84 saved per taxpayer, according to the organization that was established by President Donald Trump in January.

Before its latest update, DOGE had said in a notice issued around April 22 that it had saved about $160 billion, or just over $993 per taxpayer.

DOGE also posted on May 1 that agencies “terminated 401 wasteful contracts” worth $2.1 billion with $613 million in savings, including a Treasury contract for a “Kenya program coordinator” and another for “Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, and Tanzania cruiser vehicles.”

Other targeted contracts included a training session on equal opportunity employment and one for “environmental consulting support services,” it added.

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Opponents have filed dozens of lawsuits against DOGE’s actions, including its attempts to access some government information, such as Social Security data, in its auditing of government agencies.

Top congressional Democrats released a tracker on April 29, saying that Musk and the Trump administration have blocked some $400 billion in federal funds they argue were appropriated by Congress.

“Instead of investing in the American people, President Trump is ignoring our laws and ripping resources away,” Murray and DeLauro said.

DOGE had sought to cut federal spending by $1 trillion, although Musk recently acknowledged that it would be hard to get close to that amid the pushback.

“It’s sort of, how much pain is the Cabinet and the Congress willing to take?” Musk said at a White House Cabinet meeting last week. “It can be done, but it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.”

As for DOGE, Musk added, “I think we’ve been effective, not as effective as I’d like, I think we could be more effective, but we made progress.”

Since taking office in January, Trump has said that he wants to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal government while seeking to terminate various programs that don’t align with his administration’s priorities.

DOGE was established via an executive order Trump issued in January. Musk serves as a special adviser to Trump and works as a special government employee, meaning he can only work for a total of 130 days.

Tesla, the auto company for which Musk serves as chief executive, posted worse-than-expected profits and revenue during the first quarter of 2025.

In late April, Musk indicated in a Tesla earnings call that he would be stepping back from his role in the government in May. He stressed that he will continue to support the Trump administration and DOGE “to make sure that the waste and fraud that we stop does not come roaring back.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.