Name: DOGE Cuts Now into the Billions: White House
Uploaded: 2025-02-12T05:26:01.000Z
Description: After three weeks, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made over $1 billion in cuts, according to to numbers from the White House.

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the United States and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

Lawmakers Probe CCP Threat Inside America

Dave Martin is NTD's Senior Sports Reporter and sports analyst. He also hosts "Data Hub" segments during NTD's special election coverage, "The Nation Decides."

Dave Martin

2 Fans Get Permanent NBA Ban After Game 1 Selfie

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

Hezbollah Terrorist Group Rejects US-Brokered Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

Photojournalist Recounts 1989 Tiananmen Massacre Experience

Sam Wang is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Sam covers politics on Capitol Hill, and U.S.-China relations. 

Sam Wang

Lawmakers Remember Tiananmen Square Massacre

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's National Security Correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

New York on World Cup 2026: 'We've Got This'

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

Tankman ‘Stands for Freedom’ 37 Years After Tiananmen Massacre, Explains Victims of Communism Memorial Chairman

Christina Corona is a California-based reporter for NTD News. She primarily covers California news, politics, and entertainment.  

Christina Corona

Hilton Holds Strong Lead in California’s Governor Race

What the People Say: Does Government Weaponize Agencies Against Political Opponents?

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

ICE Protests and Doxing Discussed at House DHS Hearing

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 4)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 3)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 2)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 1)

Chris Beers is an NTD News anchor and political correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Chris co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Chris Beers

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 31)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 29)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 28)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 27)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 26)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 25)

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

State News

California

More Than 17,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

40,000 Ordered to Evacuate as Chemical Tank Leaks, Threatens Explosion in California

Video of US Fighter Jet Shooting Down UFO Over Lake Huron Emerges in New Pentagon Files

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Sports News

Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Champion, Dies at 41

Haika Mrema

Medical Plane Crash in New Mexico Mountains Kills 4, Sparks Wildfire

Mary Man is a writer for NTD. She has traveled around the world covering China, international news, and arts and culture.

Mary Man

Daniel Monaghan is a reporter for NTD News covering culture, social issues, and education. He holds a BA in Political Science and Government.

Daniel Monaghan

China News

Epoch Times Obtains Over 2,000 Unseen Tiananmen Square Photos on 37th Anniversary of the June 4th Massacre

California Mayor Resigns, Will Plead Guilty to Acting as Chinese Agent

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

Trump Calls Iran's Response to Latest US Ceasefire Proposal 'Totally Unacceptable'

After three weeks, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made over $1 billion in cuts, according to to numbers from the White House.

Some of the biggest savings reckoned by the White House stem from the cancellation of more than 100 contracts relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Trump’s day-one executive orders included one <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-executive-order-terminates-biden-dei-agenda-5794613">seeking to end DEI</a> in the federal government. The White House estimates those cancellations alone saved over $1 billion.

DOGE also ended a $748 million contract for a new embassy in South Sudan.

Smaller cuts hit subscriptions for the news outlet Politico from NASA—$500,000—and $26 million in contracts for “executive coaching” and “strategic communication.”

DOGE’s X account unveiled almost $1 billion in additional cuts on the evening of Feb. 10.

They encompass <a href="https://x.com/DOGE/status/1889105335991820585">$101 million</a> worth of DEI-related training grants from the Department of Education, a department that Trump has floated eliminating, along with <a href="https://x.com/DOGE/status/1889113011282907434">$881 million</a> in other contracts involving it.

DOGE also publicly announced the end of <a href="https://x.com/DOGE/status/1889086583933956582">$9 million</a> in contracts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including for a “Women in Forest Carbon Initiative Mentorship Program” and “Central American Gender Assessment Consultant Services.”

Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), co-chair of the bipartisan House DOGE Caucus, told The Epoch Times DOGE was “going through and creating some waves—and they’re definitely creating some airwaves.”

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) told The Epoch Times that DOGE was designed “to take from the poor to give to the rich.”

“I feel that a lot of it is illegal,” he added.
<h2>The DOGE Fight</h2>
DOGE is a time-limited organization repurposed from the United States Digital Services and situated in the Executive Office of the President. Before Election Day in 2024, Trump announced his intentions to create DOGE and place tech entrepreneur Musk, by that point a key campaign benefactor, at its helm.

Trump issued <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/">the executive order</a> establishing DOGE on the first day of his new administration. The order mandates DOGE teams of at least four in every agency, placing them under a temporary organization “dedicated to advancing the President’s 18-month DOGE agenda.”

Its interactions with other executive-branch agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Treasury Department, have sparked protests attended by Democrats from the House and Senate, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and other Democrats protest outside the Department of Labor in Washington on Feb. 5, 2025. (Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times)

DOGE and its advocates have toted up wins and losses in the courts, where litigation concerning the commission and its employees is proliferating.

On Feb. 7, a D.C. federal judge, John Bates, <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-judge-denies-motion-to-block-doges-access-to-labor-department-systems-5806532">ruled against</a> restricting DOGE’s access to Department of Labor data in response to a lawsuit from various unions.

The next day, in a ruling on a different DOGE-related lawsuit, federal Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York, issued <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/62025-02-08-Order-granting-emergency-relief.pdf">a temporary restraining order</a> <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/judge-blocks-doges-access-to-sensitive-treasury-records-5806555">preventing</a> DOGE employees from obtaining Treasury payment system data and requiring that they destroy any materials they may have obtained.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 14.

Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1888485948121366871">took to his social media platform</a>, X, to call for the judge’s impeachment, describing him as “a corrupt judge protecting corruption.”

The Department of Justice sought to lift the restraining order in a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.636609/gov.uscourts.nysd.636609.12.0.pdf">Feb. 9 filing</a>, arguing that it could be construed to prevent Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent from accessing Treasury payment system data.

The cuts and legal maneuvers are playing out as Musk and DOGE’s engineers face threats, including on social media.

A review of material on the social media platform Bluesky by The Epoch Times found numerous posts naming and, in multiple cases, threatening Musk and DOGE staff. One anonymous user named various DOGE engineers, referring to them as “Nazi scum” before adding, “The only good nazi is a dead nazi.”

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/dc-attorney-vows-to-investigate-doge-threateners-5806181">has vowed</a> to pursue those who break the law in threatening or harming DOGE employees “to the end of the Earth to hold them accountable.”

As Musk and his engineers surf a wave of reaction, economists concerned about the debt and deficit have responded to DOGE’s cuts with both enthusiasm and skepticism.

Ryan Bourne, who co-authored a report on DOGE for the libertarian Cato Institute, told The Epoch Times in an email that DOGE “could have a big qualitative impact, both on permanently changing the character of the civil service and undermining public trust in certain programs through a drumbeat of stories about wasteful spending.”

But Jessica Riedl of the Manhattan Institute <a href="https://x.com/JessicaBRiedl/status/1886926358279864674">wrote on X</a> that DOGE’s declamations ring hollow given the scope of spending during Trump’s first administration and his unwillingness to make serious cuts to social spending and at the Pentagon—both significant contributors to persistent deficits.

“You have to stop cutting taxes and then address Social Security, Medicare, defense, and a lot of other popular programs. Wake me when the GOP goes there,” Riedl wrote, adding, “Don’t brag about your coupon-clipping frugality at the same time you are buying a $250,000 Ferrari.”

DOGE’s newest targets include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as the Pentagon. In a Feb. 9 Fox News interview, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368560099112" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">said</a> he was looking forward to partnering with DOGE.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisc.), a retired Navy Seal, is handling the Veterans Affairs and Pentagon portfolios for the House DOGE Caucus.

“I could very, very reasonably cut tens of billions of dollars and improve veterans’ experiences, health care outcomes, education benefits. And we can do the same thing with the Department of Defense—get rid of these legacy programs that aren’t working, and then we’ll increase lethality and readiness,” he told The Epoch Times.

He would not comment on whether the outcome would be a lower overall Defense Department budget—a sticking point for many congressional Republicans seeking more money for the Pentagon.

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), another pro-DOGER, said DOGE’s concern with Medicare or Social Security is confined to spotting “improper payments.” Medicaid, he told The Epoch Times, presents more opportunities for immediate reform.

“I think there are ways we can make these systems work and save quite a bit,” he said of the federal government’s large social programs.

“If we get to that point after we address the low-hanging fruit and we still have a problem, then at that point, we can address that,” Burlison added.

John Cochrane, a Hoover Institution economist, wrote in <a href="https://www.grumpy-economist.com/p/tax-talk?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2178684&post_id=156737581&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1dg0s&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email">an analysis</a> of Trump’s tax policy that the spending pinpointed by DOGE “is the means, not the end.”

“The US does need that great reform. But this isn’t the time. Get through the first year, maybe build a record of success,” Cochrane wrote on his blog, The Grumpy Economist.

Bourne, of the Cato Institute, also sees DOGE as a potential on-ramp for larger changes.

“Some might argue that the only way to get buy-in for entitlement reform in the future is to show the public you’ve made every effort to root out waste, mismanagement, and non-priority spending areas from the budget already,” he told The Epoch Times.

He said he suspects federal lawmakers must act to shore up DOGE’s moves—a goal that could face resistance in a narrowly divided Congress caught in perpetual battles over funding.

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/democrats-open-to-shutting-down-government-over-trumps-doge-activity-senator-says-5806951">has signaled</a> that Democrats could use the government shutdown deadline, now little more than a month away, as leverage against DOGE.

Schumer has announced <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/schumer-outlines-four-pronged-plan-to-counter-trump-administration-5807521" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">a four-pronged plan</a> to fight the Trump administration that includes a panel for government employee whistleblowers—and he and his counterpart in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), have introduced legislation to curb DOGE’s Treasury data access.

On the other side of the aisle, Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) have introduced packages of DOGE-related bills. Ernst created the Senate’s DOGE Caucus, of which Lankford is also a member.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) speaks during a rally for the anniversary of Dobbs at the Senate Swamp in Washington on June 20, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

<span style="font-size: 16px;">Moore, the House DOGE Caucus co-chair, told The Epoch Times pro-DOGE lawmakers were engaged in “parallel work,” independent of Musk and DOGE, though with some communication between Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and DOGE.</span>

Moore said he had not recently communicated with DOGE, though there was some communication when it began.

In time, the parallel work in the executive and legislative branches “will converge,” Moore added.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/doge-cuts-now-into-the-billions-white-house-5807821">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

Videos

Politics

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

Management

Nathan Worcester covers national politics for The Epoch Times and has also focused on energy and the environment. Nathan has written about everything from fusion energy and ESG to Biden's classified documents and international conservative politics. He lives and works in Chicago. Nathan can be reached at nathan.worcester@epochtimes.us

Nathan Worcester

02_Second Lead

Executive Branch

DOGE

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.