During President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, the Department of Government Efficiency, commonly referred to as DOGE, was a significant focus.
Trump made numerous assertions about the organization’s effectiveness in reducing costs and government size, noting that it has eliminated thousands of positions, terminated contracts worth billions, and created uncertainty across federal agencies.
Much of the praise for DOGE’s accomplishments was directed towards Elon Musk, who was positioned prominently near the front of the chamber.
“I have launched the new Department of Government Efficiency. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight,” Trump stated. “Thank you, Elon, for your hard work. This was not necessary for you. Thank you very much.”
But should Musk be credited – or blamed – for DOGE’s aggressive workforce reduction and budget cuts?
Is Elon Musk in charge of DOGE?
That depends on whom you ask. Trump has consistently referred to Musk as the head of DOGE, crediting him for its initiatives, including a notable mention during his address to Congress.
However, the Trump administration has argued in legal contexts that Musk is neither the leader of DOGE nor an actual DOGE employee; rather, they describe him as a senior advisor without decision-making power.
In fact, as of February 25, Amy Gleason, a former official with the U.S. Digital Service, has been publicly designated as the acting DOGE administrator. Gleason, who focuses on health technology, has been serving as a senior advisor with the U.S. Digital Service since January, according to reports from the Tennessean.
What savings has DOGE achieved to date?
DOGE features a “wall of receipts” on its website, claiming to illustrate areas where it has eliminated waste and fraud within federal agencies.
As of March 2, the site reports savings of $105 billion due to a “variety of fraud detection and elimination tactics, contract/lease terminations, cancellations, renegotiations, asset sales, workforce cuts, programmatic modifications, and regulatory cost savings.”
This equates to approximately $652.17 per taxpayer, according to their site.
Although the DOGE website claims to provide receipts for its cost-reduction efforts, many items listed are primarily contracts canceled across different federal departments and agencies.
Reports from USA TODAY have identified significant discrepancies in the savings figures posted by DOGE. For example, one claim of $881 million in savings from terminated contracts at the Education Department was later revealed to involve contracts valued closer to $676 million, while another claim of $8 billion in savings turned out to only represent $8 million.
Is DOGE distributing payments to taxpayers?
Currently, the answer is no, although the topic is frequently debated.
Discussions have been held about potentially sending stimulus checks of up to $5,000 to American families using the federal funds liberated by DOGE’s actions. However, any such proposal would need congressional approval before any form of stimulus payment could be initiated by the federal government, meaning no checks will be sent in the near future, and no schedule for payments has been established.
Responses from congressional officials regarding this concept have varied widely. Some lawmakers have shown support, while others prefer to reduce the deficit or request a more detailed proposal before providing definite feedback.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, indicated a desire to review the plan in greater detail. Meanwhile, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, expressed his support for passing savings onto the public but suggested it be done through the child tax credit instead.
What amount could DOGE potentially distribute?
If the checks were to amount to 20% of DOGE’s savings, as suggested by James Fishback, CEO of Azoria investment firm, DOGE would need to save around $2 trillion in order to provide $5,000 checks to approximately 80 million federal tax-paying households in the U.S.
Based on the figures posted on March 2 about savings, a 20% “DOGE Dividend” would average around $130 per taxpayer.
Musk has previously indicated that achieving $2 trillion in cuts may be unrealistic. If it does occur, it could take longer than anticipated.
What is DOGE?
DOGE stands for Department of Government Efficiency, although it is not an official department. Trump established it as a temporary service authorized to operate only until July 4, 2026.
The primary goal of DOGE is to reduce spending and regulations to decrease the bureaucracy and size of the federal government.
Additionally, DOGE’s name is a nod to dogecoin, the cryptocurrency that Musk has supported for several years.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Does Elon Musk run DOGE? Will it send out rebate checks soon?
