From Targeting USAID To Saving $55 Billion, What DOGE Has Done So Far

President Donald Trump has completed a month of his second term in the Oval Office, but it's billionaire Elon Musk, who has been in the spotlight like never before. In Trump 2.0, Mr Musk has emerged as one of the most influential figures, especially after the formation of the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE's motto is simple: make the government efficient again.

What has DOGE done so far?

Created through an executive order signed on Inauguration Day, DOGE, over the last month, has worked towards cutting federal spending, slashing the government workforce and enhancing the efficiency of its agencies.

Much of its focus has been on cancelling the government's "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" (DEI) programmes, consulting contracts and lease terminations for federal buildings.

On its website, DOGE claimed to have saved $55 billion through fraud detection/deletion, contract/lease cancellations, contract/lease renegotiations, asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes, and regulatory savings.

However, not all receipts are available on the website, a fact DOGE acknowledges. The Musk-led department has so far cancelled 1,127 contracts of 39 federal departments and agencies, resulting in savings of roughly $8.6 billion of the $55 billion, it claimed.

Mr Musk and DOGE have targeted the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on a huge scale. Created in the 1960s to aid impoverished and underdeveloped regions, the USAID was labelled a "criminal organisation" by Elon Musk just days into President Trump's second term. Soon after, the agency's website went dark and its direct-hire personnel were put on administrative leave.

On its website, DOGE posted receipts showing at least $6.5 billion cut from the USAID foreign aid agency, $502 million from the Department of Education, $232 million from the Social Security Administration and $192 million from the General Services Administration.

On February 16, DOGE said it had cancelled USAID's $21 million grant for voter turnout in India.

Not just that, the department has also slashed the Agriculture Department's budget by $173 million and $152 million from the Department of Health and Human Services. It cut another $133 million from the Transportation Department and $119 million from the Commerce Department.

On February 4, the department said it cancelled 12 contracts in the Government Services Administration and the Department of Education, saving about $30 million. It added that 12 other underutilised leases were also cancelled to save $3 million.

The DOGE team said that only 20% of its "savings" have been so far posted on its website and that it was working towards making details of other terminated contracts available soon. It added there were likely some "errors and omissions".

Under the Presidential order, DOGE is a temporary organisation, which will spend the next 18 months until July 4, 2026, carrying out its mission.