President Trump is Making Government Work for You Again

TLDR

This press release makes exaggerated claims about government efficiency savings. DOGE’s reported $55 billion in savings is disputed (likely closer to $2.6 billion) and represents less than 1% of the federal budget. Actions like contract terminations, USAID cuts, halting CFPB operations, placing environmental justice employees on leave, and reversing IRS expansion appear more politically motivated than efficiency-driven. The existing Office of Government Accountability already performs similar oversight with better results.

President Trump’s claims about downsizing the federal government and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are largely exaggerated and misleading.

The alleged “billions of dollars in savings” attributed to DOGE are highly questionable. While DOGE claims to have saved $55 billion, independent evaluations suggest the true savings might only be about $2.6 billion. Even if we accept DOGE’s reported $55 billion in savings, it would account for less than 1% of the entire federal budget.

DOGE’s actions appear to be more disruptive than efficient:

• The rapid termination of contracts and layoffs of government staff has been criticized as hasty and potentially counterproductive.
• The Office of Government Accountability already performs the function DOGE claims to do, having delivered $67.5 billion in savings and benefits for taxpayers in recent years.

While Trump claims to have stopped “waste, fraud, and abuse” within USAID, the examples provided are cherry-picked and lack context. Many of the criticized programs align with established foreign policy objectives and humanitarian efforts.

The order to halt CFPB operations is likely to harm consumers rather than help them. The CFPB has been effective in addressing consumer complaints and returning nearly $20 billion to consumers over its 13 years of operation. The claim about putting 168 “environmental justice” employees on leave is misleading. This action has been criticized as potentially harmful to communities that rely on EPA’s environmental justice programs.

The reversal of IRS expansion could potentially reduce the agency’s ability to combat tax evasion and improve taxpayer services.

While there may be areas where government efficiency can be improved, the sweeping claims made by the Trump administration about DOGE’s effectiveness and the necessity of its actions are not supported by evidence. Many of these actions appear to be politically motivated rather than based on genuine efficiency concerns.