DOGE Says $300 Million in Federal Contracts Terminated in 3 Days

The Department of Government Efficiency, which last updated its website in early October, estimated that more than $214 billion in total has been saved.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) website is displayed on a phone, in this file photo. Oleksii Pydsosonnii/The Epoch Times

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has announced that, in line with its guidance, multiple federal agencies terminated contracts worth nearly $300 million last week, coming amid claims that the task force was effectively scrapped with months to go on its charter.

In a post on X on Nov. 28, DOGE said that over the past three days, agencies terminated or reduced 15 contracts with a ceiling value of $289 million and an estimated savings of $140 million.

The contracts that were terminated include a Department of State training contract for “Global Peace Operations Initiative capacity building assistance in Togo,“ the African country, an $80,000 Health and Human Services contract for ”executive coaching,“ and a $2.7 million Housing and Urban Development consulting contract for ”multi-family assessment contractors for green resilient and retrofit program.” Details of the other contracts were not provided.

DOGE, which last updated its website in early October, has estimated that more than $214 billion has been saved by its actions and recommendations.

The update in contracts on X comes just days after White House officials and DOGE itself refuted a report from Reuters that quoted a senior White House official as saying that the task force “doesn’t exist” any longer.

Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor was quoted by Reuters earlier this month as saying that DOGE “doesn’t exist,” although the article did not provide more context. Later, Kupor refuted the report in a post on social media, suggesting it contained selective editing.

Instead, Kupor said that while DOGE “may not have centralized leadership under” the U.S. Digital Service, “the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen; etc.”

In a post on X on Nov. 24, DOGE also said that the newswire story is “fake news” and that President Donald Trump in 2024 “was given a mandate by the American people to modernize the federal government and reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.”

“Just last week, DOGE terminated 78 wasteful contracts and saved taxpayers $335 [million],” DOGE added, referring to a recent post it sent out on social media over the prior weekend that gave an update on contracts federal agencies have terminated.

DOGE was established by executive order by Trump to cut spending and increase efficiency across the federal government. The task force had been associated with Elon Musk, who served as a special government employee in the administration until May, and is due to sunset in July 2026.

Earlier in its existence, DOGE was involved in recommending the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in August that USAID was being shut down.

In March, DOGE was also involved in a spat with the U.S. Institute of Peace, with its officials saying it was forced to use a police escort to enter the organization’s building in Washington. The institute later filed a lawsuit against DOGE and the Trump administration, alleging officials trespassed and illegally attempted to take it over.

DOGE also was involved in recommending a hiring freeze across the federal government shortly after Trump took office. Kupor told Reuters that the freeze has ended.