Article written by: Aaron Wood

Source: Cointelegraph

Article compiled by: Ada, MetaEra

Recently, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced that it saved American taxpayers $55 billion, but its claims have been challenged by an anonymous crypto sleuth going by the name of Momentum Chaser, who has asked the agency to revise its figures — the latest in a series of dramatic events affecting Americans.

DOGE, which is led by Tesla founder Elon Musk, currently claims on its website that they are cutting $55 billion from the federal government and reducing the size of certain agencies, but according to Momentum Chaser, the actual cuts are much lower.

U.S. President Donald Trump said 20% of the money DOGE “saved” could be paid directly to U.S. taxpayers, while the other 20% would be used to pay down the national debt.

DOGE’s numbers were also criticized by news outlets including The New York Times and The Huffington Post. Despite the revisions, DOGE stuck to its final budget cut of $55 billion — leading observers to question the credibility of a department tasked with reducing government waste.

DOGE cuts lower than reported

Once the interim committee was formed, Musk immediately set about identifying and cutting areas where he saw waste in the federal government.

Musk said he expects to cut about $2 trillion from the federal budget at a rate of $4 billion a day. So far, the agency has reported about $55 billion in cuts.

The idea for a “DOGE dividend” originally came from James Fishback, CEO of investment firm Azoria and reportedly an outside advisor to DOGE, who came up with the idea on X. The plan would distribute $2 trillion to approximately “79 million taxpaying households” that are “net taxpayers” of income taxes, with each household ultimately receiving a dividend of about $5,000.

On paper, DOGE appears on track to reach its $2 trillion goal after the Trump administration saved $55 billion in its first 30 days, but some are skeptical that the organization is accurately reporting its cuts.

X-user Momentum Chaser pointed out several calculation errors in DOGE's report. The first was that a Department of Homeland Security contract worth $8 million was incorrectly reported as $8 billion.


Another large-ticket item shows that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) appears to have nearly $2 billion in funding spread across three $655 million contracts (USAID was one of the first agencies targeted by DOGE).

However, DOGE reportedly made an error in calculating this item as well: it was an indefinite delivery agreement (IDV), not a regular contract. The amount was double-counted three times - the total amount was $655 million, while the actual amount awarded was only $73 million.

The user cited several other examples that were updated on the DOGE website the following day to reflect the correct amounts. However, the total of $55 billion remained the same - a discrepancy that was also observed by The New York Times.

Controversial cuts disrupt government services

This accounting inconsistency is particularly concerning given the scope and pace of DOGE’s operations, as well as the legal controversy surrounding its activities.

About 14 U.S. states filed for a restraining order against the agency, but were rejected by a federal judge because DOGE cut services and funding that many consider vital.

According to the Associated Press, DOGE fired more than 1,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides health care and other support to U.S. veterans, including researchers working on “cancer treatments, opioid addiction, prosthetic limbs and burn pit exposure.”

It also fired special education and student aid experts at the Education Department, including a $900 million budget cut to the Institute of Education Sciences, a division of the department that tracks student progress.

Additionally, many have claimed that these cuts were made in error and that the moves reflected Musk’s personal displeasure with certain government agencies.

As the controversy escalated, the White House felt it necessary to clarify Musk's role. On February 17, the White House issued a statement saying that Musk was a special adviser to the president, not a DOGE employee, and had no authority to make decisions.

Just two days later, Trump appeared to contradict his own administration again. Reuters reported that he told a crowd in Miami: "I signed an order creating the Department of Government Effectiveness and putting a man named Elon Musk in charge of it."

Controversy and accounting inconsistencies aside, DOGE doesn’t seem to be slowing down, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reportedly set to be the next in line for regulation.