GAO found DOGE overcounted savings by including leases already ending and overstating contract terminations.
Why it matters: The audit gives lawmakers a concrete finding to press DOGE on how it calculates and presents savings. It also raises questions about the reliability of the program's public receipts site as an accounting tool.
- GAO reviewed DOGE's savings claims after a request from senators Gary Peters and Richard Blumenthal.
- GAO found 108 of 264 leases DOGE listed for termination were already set to end before DOGE existed.
- GAO also found DOGE overstated its contract termination count by nearly 2,000 contracts, or about $27.4 billion, according to the audit report and AP.
- DOGE's savings page says it tracks reductions from terminations, renegotiations and other categories; the page says procurement postings can lag by up to a month.
The Government Accountability Office said DOGE overstated some of the savings it publicly claimed on its receipts site, according to its report, More Transparency Needed on How Savings Are Derived from Contract, Grant, and Lease Terminations.
GAO found that 108 of 264 leases DOGE listed as terminated were already in the process of ending before DOGE existed. The report also said DOGE overstated its contract termination count by nearly 2,000 contracts, a figure the audit tied to about $27.4 billion.
Those findings add scrutiny to the DOGE savings page, which presents claimed reductions to federal spending. The site says procurement postings can lag by up to a month.
The report was requested by senators Gary Peters and Richard Blumenthal. For lawmakers and oversight staff, the audit provides a formal basis to question how DOGE attributes savings and whether its public tally cleanly separates new actions from preexisting terminations.
By the numbers
- 108 of 264 - leases DOGE listed for termination were already ending before DOGE existed
- Nearly 2,000 - contract terminations by which GAO said DOGE overstated its tally
- $27.4 billion - the value GAO tied to the overstated contract terminations
Yes, but: GAO's finding addresses specific lease and contract claims, not every category on DOGE's savings page.
What's next: Lawmakers are likely to use the audit in continued oversight of DOGE's savings claims.