The Trump Administration has been in power for little over two weeks, but it’s fair to say that a lot has happened in that time. From his new position as chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk has been quick to follow up on his campaign promise to slash federal spending.
While not technically a “department” at all – departments can only be formed by Congress – DOGE has already carried out a series of radical moves to reshape the federal government to Trump’s specifications. From gaining access to Medicare and Medicaid to buying out federal employees, in truth, it has been hard to keep up with everything that Musk has carried out in his short tenure.
That’s why we’ve put together a complete list of everything that DOGE has done since Trump took office on January 20th. This guide covers everything from that first day in the White House up until the time of writing, February 7th.
DEI Programs
Much of DOGE’s early work was concentrated on rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that had been enshrined into law by previous administrations.
On January 30, it claimed in an X post that it had already saved around $1 billion by terminating 85 DEI-related contracts across several federal departments, including the Department of Education, the Department of Defense, the Department of Agriculture, and more. It followed this up with an image purporting to show a full breakdown of all DEI-related savings thus far.
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Updated data on DEI related contract cancellations with full detail: https://t.co/hEBk62KQvN pic.twitter.com/kcPATigb3x
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) January 31, 2025
As per the image, the agencies that yielded the biggest savings were the Office of Personnel Management, Agency for International Development, and the Department of Agriculture.
Office Leases
After Musk paid a visit to the General Services Administration headquarters last week, speculation mounted that the government’s real estate portfolio could be next in the crosshairs. Among other things, the GSA is responsible for the leasing of office space for federal government departments.
This would appear to be the case, with DOGE carrying out several lease terminations of “underutilized buildings” in recent days. Between 3 and 5 Feb, the number of canceled leases grew from 3 to 34. With the GSA currently responsible for more than 7,500 leases, that number could be set to grow quite substantially.
The GSA also recently appointed a new commissioner of the Public Buildings Services, Michael Peters, who has signaled his intention to make sure federal spend on buildings is kept to a minimum. “PBS will ensure the federal government’s real estate footprint is managed with the utmost discipline and strategic rigor,” he stated upon his appointment.
USAID
This week, Musk and his acolytes have busied themselves dismantling the US Agency of International Development, or USAID. The move has provoked no shortage of controversy, with commentators questioning the legality of such a move, given that the department was created by Congress.
So far, the majority of domestic USAID staff have been placed on administrative leave, with a further 10,000 around the world set for a similar fate. Expressing a particular distaste for the agency, Musk has referred to it as a “criminal organization,” and that he recently “spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.”
Whatever the outcome of this particular subplot, USAID provides billions of dollars in humanitarian aid and development funding every year. Its cessation would undoubtedly bring DOGE closer to its stated aims – while potentially throwing the wellbeing of millions around the world into jeopardy.
Medicare and Medicaid
On Wednesday, DOGE representatives were reportedly granted access to systems and technology belonging to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The CMS oversees Medicare, a health insurance program dedicated to elderly and disabled citizens, and Medicaid, which looks after lower-income individuals. Together, they provide coverage for over 140 million people living in the US.
In a statement, the agency said: “We are taking a thoughtful approach to see where there may be opportunities for more effective and efficient use of resources in line with meeting the goals of President Trump.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, DOGE has a particular interest in the systems that CMS uses to identify fraud, as well as its organizational design and staffing. Musk himself seems convinced of the potential for savings stemming from the agency, posting on X: “This is where the big money fraud is happening,” in reference to the WSJ story.
Federal Employee Buyout
Just last week, it was reported that the federal government had offered employees a substantial payout amounting to eight month’s worth of salary. No fewer than 2 million workers were offered the deal, which has been accepted by just 1% of that total figure. While questions swirl about the legality of Trump and Musk’s maneuver, it sets a clear precedent: staff layoffs will continue to surge under the new administration.
As a matter of fact, a DOGE supervisor all but confirmed this in an email obtained by The Washington Post, describing layoffs as “likely.” This follows days of debate in Washington, in which Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly called for affected workers to hold their nerve. Senator Tim Kaine asserted that the “president has no authority to make that offer,” and “if you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you” in remarks to the Senate floor.
The federal employee buyout offer was originally scheduled to run until Thursday at 23:59 EST, but a last-minute pause from Federal Judge George O’Toole Jr means that it will have to wait until at least Monday, after a lawsuit was filed by federal employee unions.
How Much Money Has DOGE Saved So Far?
On January 28, DOGE wrote on X that it was “saving the Federal Government approx. $1 billion/day, mostly from stopping the hiring of people into unnecessary positions, deletion of DEI and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations, all consistent with the President’s Executive Orders.” It also expressed a need to increase savings to “>$3 billion/day.”
It’s worth noting, of course, that there is no way of verifying these figures. While DOGE is quite forthcoming in some respects, it doesn’t provide a complete breakdown of its alleged cuts, meaning that one should take its declarations with a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, Musk claimed last week that he was “cautiously optimistic” DOGE would reach its stated aim of $4 billion a day in savings, putting it on course to reduce the federal deficit by $1 trillion in fiscal year 2026. With many more programs yet to be picked apart, expect mass layoffs, office closures, and cutbacks, to become a regular fixture on the news over the coming weeks and months.
