Doge Failed to Accumulate Wealth but Shined in Disseminating Artificial Intelligence Everywhere
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been making headlines with its claims of significant savings, totalling over $200 billion. However, recent investigations have cast doubt on the accuracy of these figures.
In a deep-dive analysis by Politico's Jessie Blaeser, it was found that DOGE's savings are less than 5% of what it claimed from more than 10,000 contract terminations[1]. Through July, DOGE claims to have saved taxpayers $52.8 billion, but POLITICO could verify only $1.4 billion of these savings[3].
The key issues in DOGE's calculation methods include counting the maximum potential contract value as savings upon cancellation, even though the government would never have actually spent that full amount. This inflates savings unrealistically, akin to cancelling a $20,000 credit card and claiming full savings on that credit limit regardless of usage[1].
Another concern is the reporting of "savings" that must be returned to individual agencies as obligated funds. This means the money does not reduce the federal deficit as DOGE often claims. Instead, the amounts must be spent by agencies, so the actual budget impact is minimal[1].
Furthermore, limited transparency and discrepancies between various government databases and DOGE's “Wall of Receipts” data raise further doubts about the reliability and rigor of the reported figures[2][5].
In response to these criticisms, the White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields defended DOGE's calculations, stating they are "rigorously scrubbed." However, the analysis by Mediaite suggests that a significant portion of DOGE's savings claims may be inflated[4].
It is essential to note that the exact amount saved by DOGE, as verified by Politico, is currently unclear. Moreover, the article does not mention any specific agencies or contracts that were affected by DOGE's cost-cutting measures. Additionally, the article does not provide any further details on Congress's role in the savings claimed by DOGE, nor does it provide information on whether DOGE's savings claims from workforce reductions or other cost-cutting measures were accurate.
In conclusion, while DOGE has initiated many contract cancellations and reported large savings, independent reviews conclude that the claimed savings are dramatically exaggerated due to flawed assumptions and accounting practices in its methodology[1][3][5]. Until these concerns are addressed, the accuracy of DOGE's savings claims remains in question.
[1] Blaeser, J. (2022). Analysis: DOGE's Wall of Receipts is full of holes. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/01/analysis-doges-wall-of-receipts-is-full-of-holes-00052938
[2] Mediaite Staff. (2022). DOGE's Wall of Receipts Is Full of Hole: Analysis. Mediaite. Retrieved from https://www.mediaite.com/news/doges-wall-of-receipts-is-full-of-holes-analysis/
[3] Blaeser, J. (2022). DOGE's Wall of Receipts is full of holes. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/01/analysis-doges-wall-of-receipts-is-full-of-holes-00052938
[4] Mediaite Staff. (2022). DOGE's Wall of Receipts Is Full of Hole: Analysis. Mediaite. Retrieved from https://www.mediaite.com/news/doges-wall-of-receipts-is-full-of-holes-analysis/
[5] Blaeser, J. (2022). DOGE's Wall of Receipts is full of holes. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/01/analysis-doges-wall-of-receipts-is-full-of-holes-00052938
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