US Government Agencies Terminate 67 Wasteful Contracts Worth $1.4 Billion: DOGE

Democrats have raised concerns about DOGE’s activities, particularly regarding the data privacy of Americans.

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

Federal government agencies terminated and descoped 67 wasteful contracts over the past five days, which had a ceiling value of $1.4 billion, while saving $648 million in taxpayer funds, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced in an X post on Nov. 8.

The canceled contracts include “a $54k State Dept. training contract for ‘leader as a coach course’, a $456k USAGM broadcasting contract for ‘24/7 FM broadcast service in hosting, operations, technical, and maintenance support in Juba, South Sudan’, and a $1.3M State Dept. education contract for ‘Botswana MI curriculum,’” the post said.

In another Nov. 8 X post, DOGE praised the cross-agency coordination involved in tackling fraud related to the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program.

Businesses that partake in the 8(a) program are eligible to receive federal contracting as well as training and technical assistance.

According to DOGE, the General Services Administration has facilitated the nonrenewal or termination of 17 “wasteful” 8(a) contracts, generating a savings of $75.1 million. These contracts were active across four federal agencies—the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Energy, and the Department of War.

DOGE had responded to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s Nov. 7 X post about the crackdown on fraudulent use of government programs.

“President Trump has directed his administration to eliminate fraud and waste wherever it occurs, ensuring that each taxpayer dollar is spent as intended,” Bessent wrote.

“Treasury will not tolerate fraudulent misuse of federal contracting programs. These initiatives must benefit legitimate small businesses that deliver measurable value to the government and the public.”

Democrats have raised concerns about DOGE’s activities, particularly regarding the data privacy of Americans.

In September, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) released a report suggesting that DOGE’s activities were likely violating federal privacy and security laws while putting the personal data of millions of Americans at risk, according to a Sept. 25 statement from the lawmaker’s office.

The report was based on investigations done by Peters’s staff and whistleblower statements.

At the Social Security Administration, DOGE employees had access to personal data of all Americans, including their Social Security Numbers (SSNs), the report said, adding that such access was made available in a cloud environment without “any verified security controls.”

“One whistleblower noted the possibility that the agency may need to re-issue SSNs to all who possess one. A compromised SSN can be personally devastating. That’s because SSNs are the backbone for accessing all kinds of public and private services, from acquiring a driver’s license to going to the doctor,” the report said.

“Unwinding the harm done by identity thieves can involve years of credit and identity monitoring, mountains of paperwork. If penetrated, this data vulnerability could result in the most significant data breach of Americans’ sensitive data in history.”

Meanwhile, during an Oct. 31 interview with Joe Rogan on his podcast, former DOGE head Elon Musk said the initiative continues to reduce government waste and fraud.

Musk said that since he left DOGE in May, the initiative has become less publicized because people who oppose DOGE now have no single person to target.

“You turn off the money spigot to fraudsters, they get very upset, to say the least,” he said.

“My death threat level went ballistic, you know, was like a rocket going to orbit. But now that I’m not in D.C., I guess they don’t really have a person to attack anymore.”

According to the DOGE website, the initiative has so far saved $214 billion in taxpayer funds as of Oct.4.

This comes to more than $1,329 saved per taxpayer, based on an estimate of 161 million individual federal taxpayers.

The savings were made through a combination of asset sales, interest savings, grant cancellations, minimizing fraud and improper payments, workforce reductions, and regulatory savings.

The Department of Health and Human Services ranks as the top agency that has registered the most savings under DOGE. This was followed by the General Services Administration, the Social Security Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Small Business Administration.