Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are now under fire for the recent claim that they shared on their website, particularly their so-called "wall of receipts" that claimed that they saved $8 billion in one specific government contract.
However, it was later clarified that this big single-ticket item on its website was actually $8 million and not the $8 billion that was originally claimed.
Because of this, the public and many news outlets are now questioning whether DOGE's claims and other statements are not as accurate as what they portray to the public, especially amidst the White House denying that Musk is the department's head.
Musk's DOGE Only Saved $8 Million Instead of $8 Billion
The difference between $8 billion and $8 million is massive, and this was the latest issue faced by Musk's DOGE after its website's wall of receipts displayed the incorrect figure.
According to the New York Times, DOGE declared as much as $55 billion saved from canceled government contracts, with a subset of $16.5 billion displayed on the wall of receipts.
However, the largest canceled contract listed on its website stuck out as it claimed to have $8 billion in savings, one that involves an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contract with a Virginia-based company.
The company that was part of the contract, D&G Solutions, shared with CNN that the website's claim was erroneous as the canceled deal only amounted to $8 million, not $8 billion.
DOGE: Is the Website's 'Wall of Receipts' Accurate?
Joe Jordan, a former federal government chief acquisition officer under the Obama administration, said that DOGE is claiming victory for "savings that aren't real," particularly as it focused on a superficial $8 billion claim.
Now, DOGE and its website are now under scrutiny due to what has turned out to be inaccurate information.
Elon Musk and DOGE's Efforts
At first, the public thought that DOGE was only a joke that Elon Musk suggested to then-aspiring presidential candidate, Donald Trump, but it was later considered and made legitimate by the Republicans.
After President Trump won the election, Musk was among those who were given special roles in the US government, with DOGE rising to be a legitimate watchdog that is tasked to improve the system.
DOGE and Musk immediately began their work to audit and probe the different federal agencies and government departments to improve their processes, reduce unnecessary use of budget, and more. Recently, Musk and DOGE asked for access to the US Treasury's federal payment system, with Tom Krause, a technology executive under the department, heading the review of the system.
However, despite the massive efforts made by DOGE since their work began, there have been questions about its methods, including doubts about Musk's leadership after the White House denied that he's the head.
