DOGE said it cut $881 million at the Education Department. The real savings are much less.

The newly formed Department of Government Efficiency says it shaved nearly $900 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s budget.

But that math isn’t adding up, according to both left- and right-leaning researchers who say the savings are exaggerated and a new analysis that shows it doesn't account for roughly $400 million that was effectively wasted – not saved – by the DOGE team. 

“DOGE has an unprecedented opportunity to cut waste and bloat,” Nat Malkus, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, wrote in a blog post. “However, the sloppy work shown so far should give pause to even its most sympathetic defenders.”

Research into the task force’s cost-cutting measures conducted by New America, a progressive think tank, and reviewed by USA TODAY reveals layers of erroneous calculations. DOGE, spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, said it saved $881 million two weeks ago by terminating 89 contracts at the Education Department’s research arm; however, the real value of the contracts was closer to $676 million. 

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