Is DOGE Actually Saving Money?
A Data-Driven Reality Check
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created with a bold promise: cut $2.0T in government waste. That target was later revised to $1.0T, then $150.0B. Ultimately, DOGE claimed $55.0B in savings. But did federal spending actually go down? Let's look at the data.
The Bottom Line
DOGE Claimed Savings
$55.0B
Actual Spending Increase
+$392.4B
Savings as % of Budget
0.81%
Federal spending went from $4.9T in FY2024 to $5.3T in FY2025.
Put It In Perspective
Imagine your monthly grocery bill is $1,000. DOGE is like clipping coupons to save $8.10 — while your bill goes up to $1,390. You saved 0.81% and spent 39% more.
That's not a spending cut. That's a rounding error on a spending increase.
The Incredible Shrinking Target
| Promise | Amount | vs. Original |
|---|---|---|
| Original Target | $2.0T | — |
| Revised Target | $1.0T | -50% |
| Final Target | $150.0B | -92.5% |
| Claimed Savings | $55.0B | -97.3% |
From $2 trillion to $55 billion — the target shrank 97% before DOGE declared victory.
Why Spending Keeps Growing (No Matter Who's in Charge)
The uncomfortable truth is that 63% of the federal budget is mandatory spending — programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid that grow automatically. Another 13% goes to interest on the debt. That leaves just 24% that Congress (or DOGE) can actually cut.
Here's how the big mandatory programs grew — all on autopilot, all untouched by DOGE:
| Program | FY2020 | FY2025 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Security Retirement | $854.0B | $1.3T | +52% |
| Medicaid | $460.0B | $666.0B | +45% |
| Medicare Part B | $410.0B | $569.0B | +39% |
| VA Disability Compensation | $94.0B | $174.0B | +85% |
| Medicare Prescription Drugs | $89.0B | $162.0B | +82% |
What DOGE Actually Did
DOGE cut roughly 9% of the federal workforce, saving an estimated $40.0B in personnel costs. The Cato Institute — a libertarian think tank sympathetic to cutting government — concluded: “DOGE did not reduce spending.”
The Senate found approximately $21.7B in identifiable waste reductions. That's real money — but it's 0.3% of the federal budget and was dwarfed by automatic spending growth in mandatory programs.
The lesson isn't that efficiency is impossible. It's that you can't solve a $6.75 trillion spending problem by firing some bureaucrats and cutting foreign aid. The math doesn't work unless you address mandatory spending — and no one wants to touch Social Security or Medicare.
Explore the full interactive DOGE reality check with charts and agency-level data.
View Interactive DOGE Dashboard →Related Analysis
Source: USASpending.gov · U.S. Department of the Treasury