DOGE under scrutiny: Watchdog says it overstated savings, ethics oversight unclear under Musk

Elon Musk's controversial stint leading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has come under renewed scrutiny after a government watchdog found the initiative repeatedly overstated its claimed taxpayer savings while Musk admitted he became "too consumed by politics" during his time in Washington.

According to findings from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), DOGE claimed credit for savings that could not always be verified, including lease cancellations that had been initiated before the group was established. The watchdog also found instances where contracts were listed as terminated despite remaining active.

The report raises broader concerns about the transparency and accountability of the cost-cutting initiative, which was launched by President Donald Trump and spearheaded by Musk with the goal of dramatically reducing federal spending.

Savings claims under question 

The GAO found that DOGE's publicly reported savings figures were often inflated. Investigators said the group took credit for federal lease cancellations that predated its creation and included savings entries that could not be independently verified.

The findings challenge one of DOGE's central claims — that it had generated massive savings for taxpayers through aggressive spending cuts and government restructuring.

Ethics oversight remained unclear 

The 53-page GAO report also paints an incomplete picture of DOGE's internal governance.

Investigators said they were unable to determine who was responsible for ethics compliance and oversight during the initiative's early months because the Trump administration and Musk did not fully cooperate with the inquiry.

Officials from the Office of Government Ethics reportedly told investigators they were uncertain who oversaw DOGE's ethics programme. The White House maintained that DOGE personnel had received ethics and records-management training but did not provide documentation requested by auditors.

Among the agencies that responded, only partial records were available. Of 64 DOGE personnel reviewed, 38 had filed financial disclosure reports, 49 completed ethics training and just 18 had completed records-management training.

The GAO identified more than 200 people who worked with DOGE at some point, but more than half had left their positions by the end of January 2026, highlighting significant staff turnover.

'I got carried away': Musk

In a recent interview, Musk reflected on his time in government and acknowledged that politics distracted him from his businesses.

"I got carried away, frankly," Musk said, referring to his close alliance with President Trump and his leadership of DOGE.

He also suggested that, in hindsight, he would have preferred to focus on running his companies instead of leading the government's cost-cutting initiative. In an earlier podcast appearance, Musk similarly said he would probably not take the same path again if given another opportunity.

What was DOGE? 

The Department of Government Efficiency was launched by the second Trump administration as an advisory initiative aimed at reducing government spending and streamlining federal agencies.

Named after the Dogecoin cryptocurrency favoured by Musk, DOGE sought to eliminate as much as $2 trillion in federal spending through workforce reductions, agency restructuring and contract reviews.

The initiative officially ceased operations on July 4, 2026. However, the GAO's findings are likely to fuel ongoing legal and political debates over DOGE's transparency, governance and the accuracy of its claimed achievements.