Trump’s DOGE Department Slashes $2.6 Billion in Wasteful Spending, Led by Elon Musk
President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, announced on Tuesday the termination of 180 government contracts—cutting an estimated $2.6 billion in wasteful federal spending. The announcement marks another significant milestone in the administration’s cost-cutting campaign aimed at reducing bureaucratic bloat and returning financial accountability to Washington.
Contract Eliminations Target EPA and HHS Spending
Among the most glaring expenditures terminated were an $85,500 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contract for “live plant maintenance services” and a $265,500 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agreement for “social media monitoring subscriptions, training, and platform setup.” Both programs were deemed non-essential and better suited for internal management.
In a separate finding, DOGE revealed that routine website maintenance for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had been contracted out at a staggering $380,000 per month. That service is now handled internally by a single VA software engineer working approximately 10 hours a week.
“These are exactly the kinds of bloated, low-return government contracts that have plagued taxpayers for decades,” the DOGE office said in a statement. “And we are just getting started.”
Estimated $155 Billion in Total Savings to Date
Since DOGE’s inception, the department claims to have saved U.S. taxpayers approximately $155 billion through a combination of asset sales, contract cancellations, renegotiated leases, fraud prevention, regulatory rollback, and workforce reductions. That translates to nearly $1,000 in savings per taxpayer.
The department posted its latest update on X (formerly Twitter):
“Contract update! Agencies terminated 180 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $3.3B and savings of $2.6B, including a $85.5K @EPA contract for ‘live plant maintenance services’ (the internal EPA team will water them going forward) and a $265.5K @HHSGov contract for ‘social media monitoring subscription, training, and platform setup.’”
Legal Challenges and Musk’s Tenure as SGE
In addition to trimming waste, DOGE is reportedly dealing with a coordinated “resistance agreement” uncovered among 14 states aiming to use lawfare tactics to undermine the department’s reforms and challenge Elon Musk’s leadership.
Musk serves as a Special Government Employee (SGE), a designation limiting his federal service to 130 days within a 365-day period. His current term is set to expire around late May 2025. However, sources close to the Trump administration suggest legal and administrative pathways may be explored to extend Musk’s tenure or transition DOGE into a permanent fixture of the federal bureaucracy.
A New Model for Government Oversight?
The aggressive reform approach embraced by DOGE and its high-profile leader marks a departure from traditional government operations. With high-level transparency and performance benchmarks, the department could serve as a prototype for future efficiency-driven government models.
For now, DOGE continues to post regular updates and maintain public accountability, offering a rare look at the inner workings of government spending in real time.