Fed‑Cash Rescue Mission: DOGE Slashes “Waste” Contracts
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) just cleared out a pile of bloated deals, saving taxpayers a cool $4.2 billion in the last five days. That’s a hefty $5.3 billion worth of contracts now out the door.
What got the red‑action stamp?
- $857,000 – a top‑secret “technical adviser” gig for the Interior Department, supposed to go to Lagos, Nigeria.
- $1.5 million – Treasury’s Word‑Processing Exam Training for the Human Capital Office and the IRS, plus a tiny slice for small‑biz folks.
- $785,000 – a State Department contracting deal that was just staffing nonsense.
Why DOGE is calling the press “Fake News”
On Thursday, DOGE blasted claims that its “cost‑savings” were just a number‑blowout trick. The agency said it actually used ceiling values – the upper spend limits – not the realpayouts.
“In federal contracting, ceilings matter because they’re most often maxed out.” – DOGE explained. “Out of 5.4 million awards at FY24’s end, 98.12 % hit the ceiling.”
Even Bill Ackman Couldn’t Resist the Praise
Just a day later, hedge‑fund guru Bill Ackman weighed in from his usual corner of the Xverse:
“@DOGE is doing great work. Thank you, DOGE team!”
So if you ever wondered where the federal money is really going, DOGE has just opened up the tidy casebook for you to read.
How DOGE’s “Dollar‑Saving Extraordinaire” Became a $205 Billion Hackathon
On August 15th, the DOGE (Department Of Government Efficiencies) team proudly announced that they’d sliced roughly $205 billion off the federal budget—about $1,273.29 saved per taxpayer! That’s a tidy chunk of money that could now fund anything from school lunches to a new great‑america space program. How did they pull it off? A quick, clever sweep across contracts, leases, grants, and assets.
Who’s the Big‑Spender? Coalition of Five Key Departments
- Health & Human Services – The department that pours the biggest sums into medical programs.
- General Services Administration – The folks responsible for office leases and equipment.
- Defense – Argh, even the armed forces have plenty to trim.
- Social Security Administration – Because that never ends.
- Small Business Administration – Tiny loans that add up fast.
- Office of Personnel Management – Cutting a few corners on hiring costs.
Spot‑On “Greatest Hits”: The Most Striking Cuts
DAO’s website lists several “strangest, most baffling uses” of funds that have been wiped clean. Here’s the rundown:
- $1.5 million originally earmarked for a grant to the Center to Advance Reproductive Justice and Behavioral Health – aimed at supporting pregnant and postpartum people of color.
Result: 2015‑”we’re not wasting that cash!” - $6.9 million set aside for a mental‑health development grant under an “antiracist” framework.
Result: 2015‑“let’s rethink that allocation.” - $10 million earmarked to “decolonize the curriculum.”
Result: 2015‑“we’re still figuring out what that means.”
These cancellations weren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—they’re a reminder that the federal purse‑strings need a good tightening.
What’s Next? Outlook for the Treasury
If the DOGE continues its trend of smart reallocations, the trend may turn on more “unnecessary” programs, ensuring the U.S. taxpayer more savings, and at least some regular folks get a chance to write a little fewer check‑books on their bank accounts.
DOGE Data Access
Dog‑Egone Chaos: Senators Push “Pick Up After Your DOGE Act” to Clean Up the Mess
Last month, a band of Democratic senators launched the Pick Up After Your DOGE Act, demanding a full‑blown audit of every federal agency’s computer systems – the same ones that were snooped on by DOGE staff, according to a July 30 release from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D‑R.I.).
Why the DOGE Group is a Pain‑In‑The‑Neck
- These “DOGE boys” gained access to
- the IRS,
- Social Security Administration,
- Department of Transportation,
- Veterans Administration,
- and more.
- Despite having nearly zero training and few qualifications, they walked straight into the heart of sensitive data.
- Such incursions are flagged as “substantial risks” to Americans’ data and well‑being.
- Unpatched bugs and backdoors left open by DOGE might let a thief swipe private info.
Whitehouse Says
“The DOGE‑boys have weasel‑ed themselves into America’s most sensitive data systems, claiming to hunt ‘waste, fraud, and abuse,’ while actually creating the very thing they’re supposed to stop. They’re eroding trust in government and could even be hand‑shaking stolen data to Big Tech and AI,” snorted Whitehouse.
The bill aims to protect seniors and everyone by wiping out any bugs or backdoors DOGE might have planted—whether by accident or design—in Social Security, Medicare, and other secure systems.
Trump Administration’s Victory‑Lap
Meanwhile, the Trump era secured a win—on August 12 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit lifted a block that had been standing since a February lawsuit. That lawsuit argued DOGE was “steamrolling into sensitive government record systems” and jeopardizing personal data.
Initially, a district judge issued a preliminary injunction that barred federal agencies from handing data to DOGE. But the appeals court flipped that, voting 2‑1 to lift the prohibition.
Judge Julius Richardson Weighs In
Richardson claimed it was impossible for DOGE employees to do their jobs without having privileged access to government data. “Asking DOGE affiliates to spell out what they want and why in advance is basically a request for clairvoyance,” he said. “Expecting an IT specialist to modernize a system with admin rights to all internal databases—especially during the initial tech audit—is realistic.”
Bottom Line
It’s clear: if a group that historically looks more like a gang than a workforce is allowed to dig through government data, somebody’s going to pull a data heist. The new bill and court decisions split the load of responsibility, leaving everyone to watch, hope, and, quite frankly, pray that the “DOGE‑boys” keep their paws off America’s most sensitive systems.