DOGE's ledger: claimed savings, uncounted costs
Government auditors could not verify most of DOGE's claimed savings, while independent estimates put the cost of its disruption in the tens of billions or more.
Government & competence
DOGE, agency cuts and how the government is being run.
The agencies that investigated Musk's companies were among DOGE's first targets
SEC, NLRB, CFPB and USAID all felt DOGE's reach. Several had open cases or disputes involving Musk's businesses.
A funding cut halted U.S.-backed tracking of Ukrainian children taken by Russia
Yale researchers had located thousands of deported children. When the State Department ended the contract, they lost access to their own database.
Homeland Security publicly accused a man of threatening Trump. He had been framed.
Kristi Noem posted a letter she said Ramón Morales Reyes wrote. Wisconsin authorities found it was forged by a man he was due to testify against.
Top Homeland Security Democrat tells Noem to her face that she violated the law
At a December 2025 hearing, Rep. Bennie Thompson listed what he called illegal actions and called on the secretary to resign.
Arlington National Cemetery scrubbed pages on Black, Hispanic and women veterans
To comply with DEI orders, the cemetery removed links and lessons about the Tuskegee Airmen, Colin Powell and others. The cemetery said profiles were moved, not deleted.
A 22-year-old put in charge of the government's terrorism-prevention office
ProPublica profiled the recent graduate chosen to lead the DHS office that works to prevent terrorism and targeted violence.
Also in the file
- New federal employees asked to write essays on loyalty to Trump's agenda MSN
- Trump official with Kremlin-friendly views closes office fighting Russian propaganda The New Republic Darren Beattie
- Report: administration intentionally hired inexperienced officials Yahoo News
- Opinion: the costs of cuts at the Education Department MSN (opinion)
- FEMA workers ordered to identify critics or be fired MSN