So much disruption, so little savings

US President Donald Trump and Musk answering questions at the White House in Washington on Feb 11, 2025. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency said it made more than 29,000 cuts to the federal government but the group did not do what Musk said it would: reduce federal spending by US$1 trillion before October. On DOGE’s watch, federal spending did not go down at all. It went up. — Eric Lee/The New York Times

ELON Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claimed more than 29,000 cuts to the federal government, cancelling contracts, grants and pushing out civil servants.

But it did not achieve what Musk promised: a US$1 trillion reduction in spending before October.