NewsMeter

GAO audit finds DOGE's $110 billion savings claim inflated, $2 trillion target unmet

8/9/2026

That is the savings figure the Department of Government Efficiency claimed to have delivered in cuts to federal spending.

The Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan congressional watchdog, reviewed those claims and concluded the number was inflated.

The actual reductions, GAO found, fell far short of DOGE's stated $2 trillion goal.

The math GAO disputed DOGE, the federal cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk, positioned its $110 billion tally as proof of fiscal discipline. GAO's finding puts that figure in dispute.