In its early days, the Elon Musk–led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) bragged it could cut up to $2 trillion from the U.S. federal budget. In December, Musk conceded the special advisory saved only $200 billion in “zombie payments” for canceled contracts or fraudulent unemployment claims.
But a recent estimation of DOGE’s overall impact indicated any savings it found did little, if anything, for the deficit.
