Federal auditors have found that some of the savings touted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are incorrect or lack supporting evidence, as reported by infohub.kz.

DOGE began posting its estimated savings on a web page known as the Wall of Receipts. Lawmakers asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate the accuracy of these estimates, and the watchdog found them lacking in some cases.

Auditors found that 108 of 264 leases identified for termination on the Wall of Receipts were already in the process of termination when DOGE was established. In another case, DOGE reported $1.7 billion in savings on a Department of Defense contract for IT services, but in reality, the contract was not terminated, so no savings were achieved.

Furthermore, DOGE was not transparent about the methodologies used to calculate savings. The GAO said DOGE officials did not respond to requests for information. The report concluded that data quality issues limit the value of the Wall of Receipts for policymakers.

"In addition, when government data are not reliable, it can hinder the public's trust in government," the report stated.

DOGE began posting its estimated savings on Feb. 17, 2025, and had reported savings of $110 billion as of July 7 across a wide range of contracts, grants, and leases. President Donald Trump's executive order establishing DOGE sunset its operations on July 4. Billionaire Elon Musk initially led its operations, but stepped back from that role after just a few months.

The GAO report was requested by Democratic Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Peters said everyone supports rooting out waste and fraud, but DOGE was a slapdash and deceptive effort that did real damage to the government's ability to serve Americans.

"Elon Musk and the Trump Administration claimed billions of dollars in savings it could not substantiate, took credit for work already underway, and refused to show its work, all while putting Americans' sensitive data at risk and hollowing out critical agencies," Peters said in response to the report.