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Significant progress has been made in federal spending reduction through the DOGE initiative, which has identified $105 billion in potential savings. The program, spearheaded by Elon Musk, has achieved these savings primarily through lease cancellations, contract terminations, and workforce reductions. Already, 748 lease terminations have resulted in annual savings of $468 million, with plans to reduce federal real estate holdings by 25% from its current 360 million square feet.
A recent Morning Wire episode featured a discussion between Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley and Eric Eggers from the Government Accountability Institute, who co-hosts “The Drill Down with Peter Schweizer.” Their conversation explored DOGE’s achievements and challenges.
🚨DOGE: VA Sec Doug Collins reveals MASSIVE $980M in waste — after reviewing ONLY 2% of VA contracts.
Staggering:
"We've only investigated 2% of our contracts at the VA and found…almost a BILLION dollars that we're cutting out to put back in patient care." pic.twitter.com/XogCCIg3ci
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) March 10, 2025
Eggers shared specific insights about the program’s impact: “If we’re talking dollars and cents, DOGE has identified $105 billion in savings — cutting federal leases, canceling contracts, and eliminating wasteful spending. The federal government is targeting a 63% reduction in the Public Building Services division, and one agency alone — USAID — has seen 83% of its programs cut. That’s tens of billions of dollars in savings.”
Regarding social media’s role, Eggers noted: “The Trump administration has become the most radically transparent administration in recent memory. Before, legacy media controlled the narrative. The American people are now seeing a lot of things exposed that the gatekeepers in the legacy media would have never exposed. Now, X puts out receipts in real time — like the General Services Administration buying 37,000 WinZip licenses for 13,000 employees. DOGE is making cutting spending ‘cool’ again.”
“DOGE has uncovered $100 billion in waste. $100 billion. Imagine what we could do for American people who have been suffering … Think of what we can do with four years of these kinds of finds” pic.twitter.com/JtAZwhdKvv
— DOGE NEWS- Department of Government Efficiency (@realdogeusa) March 1, 2025
The initiative faces several challenges, as Eggers explained: “Critics say these cuts are just a ‘drop in the bucket’ compared to the national deficit. The Supreme Court even blocked some USAID funding freezes. And now, Democrats are claiming DOGE is harming veterans, since 30% of federal workers are vets. We all saw Democrats protesting during his most recent congressional address, saying he’s a ‘dictator.’ But at the end of the day, everything that’s being done in the name of cutting spending is being identified and posted on the DOGE website.”
Significant changes are also occurring at the IRS, where Eggers commented: “The IRS started this administration with about 100,000 employees. Reports say that number could be cut in half. And there was some talk about giving them weapons. The American public, however, seems to support the cuts — after all, downsizing for efficiency is standard in the private sector. Why should government be any different?”
Musk’s involvement has been crucial, with Eggers stating: “Musk isn’t just backing DOGE financially—he’s essentially acting as its Chief Marketing Officer. By using X to put pressure on vulnerable politicians, making it harder for weak members of Congress and Trump’s coalition to resist these cuts. Musk and his team at X can take the specific examples and give them directly to the American people. That’s why this initiative has had so much success so quickly.”
