• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

2

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

3

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

1

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

2

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

3

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
PoliticsElon Musk

DOGE—tasked with trimming federal spending—has more than doubled its budget already, disclosures show

Sasha Rogelberg
By
Sasha Rogelberg
Sasha Rogelberg
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Sasha Rogelberg
By
Sasha Rogelberg
Sasha Rogelberg
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 12, 2025, 2:46 PM ET
Elon Musk stands in the Oval Office and looks over at Donald Trump, who is sitting behind his desk.
Elon Musk said Tuesday DOGE has identified $1 trillion in government "abuse" and "fraud."Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.
  • Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has doubled its budget from $6.75 million to about $14.4 million just weeks after its inception. The advisory group claimed to have already saved taxpayers $37.7 billion, but has not disclosed details on how it calculated that number.

As Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues its quest to eliminate what it considers bureaucratic excess in an effort to curb federal spending, its own financial footprint is expanding.

Recommended Video

The advisory group has doubled its spending from Jan. 30 to Feb. 8 from $6.75 million to more than $14.4 million, according to a financial filing updated Saturday. On Jan. 27, it was initially allocated $750,000. The most recent addition of $7.7 million will be used for “for anticipated reimbursements from agencies in support of Software Modernization Initiative,” the document says.

DOGE’s budget is still a fraction of that of its predecessor, the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), which was allocated $60 million per year as of 2024 to improve the technological efficiency of the government through what is now, essentially, DOGE’s “Software Modernization Initiative.”

In addition to continuing USDS’s mission, DOGE was tasked with examining “regulations, expenditures, and restructuring agencies” according to the executive order, though allowances for those tasks are not apparent in the budget filing.

Less than three weeks into its existence, it’s clear DOGE is clearly investing its resources in more than just updating and streamlining the federal government’s information technology systems. In its first two weeks, DOGE facilitated a buyout option for nearly 2 million federal workers and gained access to the U.S. Treasuries payment systems, which include Social Security numbers. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving DOGE the power to carry out large-scale layoffs, or “reductions in force,” of the federal workforce.

U.S. judges have temporarily blocked some of DOGE’s actions, including its access to U.S. Treasury payment systems, and barred Trump from putting 2,700 U.S. Agency for International Development workers on leave. Musk has pushed back against arguments from numerous legal experts that DOGE’s barrage of firings are illegal, as well concerns he is overreaching in his limited role in Trump’s administration.

“The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what people are going to get,” Musk told reporters Tuesday. “They’re going to get what they voted for.”

Saving $1 trillion

Musk said Tuesday DOGE has identified more than $1 trillion worth of “abuse” and “fraud” in the federal government to eliminate over the next 18 months, though he did not provide evidence or specifics on the sources of the waste. DOGE claimed last month in an X post it saves $1 billion in government spending per day by “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.” Its goal is to ramp up spending to $3 billion daily.

An online DOGE “live tracker,” using data from DOGE’s X account, claims the advisory has saved taxpayers nearly $37.7 billion, though it does not offer additional information on how the figure was calculated.

Despite DOGE’s exponential budget increase, Musk’s own workforce is apparently poised to do its own part in mitigating government spending. Deemed a “special government employee,” Musk will not be on the government’s payroll, White House officials have previously said. His unpaid status will preclude him from having to publicly file financial disclosures and conflicts of interest, according to the Department of Justice.

Nearly all of DOGE’s workforce—made up of about 30 early- and mid-career workers, some as young as 19—are categorized as volunteers, Business Insider reported. The White House confirmed with Fortune that DOGE employees are not getting paid.

Late last year, DOGE was looking for “super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting,” according to its social media.

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter delivers clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.
About the Author
Sasha Rogelberg
By Sasha RogelbergReporter
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Sasha Rogelberg is a reporter and former editorial fellow on the news desk at Fortune, covering retail and the intersection of business and popular culture.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

Trump’s Iran war provoked the Senate enough to get it to symbolically vote to curb his war powers for the first time
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump’s Iran war provoked the Senate enough to get it to symbolically vote to curb his war powers for the first time
By The Associated PressJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
Asia’s defense boom is rewiring the global arms supply chain
Commentaryarms, weapons, and defense
Asia’s defense boom is rewiring the global arms supply chain
By Chris OberoiJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
Wind turbines on yellow grass
Environmentwind power
California threatens to hit Trump with lawsuit if he doesn’t revive massive wind farm project off central coast
By Jennifer McDermott and The Associated PressJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
Why Zohran Mamdani’s big night as the Democratic party’s new kingmaker matters for every Fortune 500 CEO in every city and state
PoliticsPolitics
Why Zohran Mamdani’s big night as the Democratic party’s new kingmaker matters for every Fortune 500 CEO in every city and state
By Catherina GioinoJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
Warren leans in to talk to Scott
PoliticsHousing
Congress’s landmark housing bill could backfire on millions of renters
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
8 hours ago
President Donald Trump pictured in September 2025 signing an executive order that overhauled the H-1B visa program.
EconomyImmigration
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
By Tristan BoveJune 24, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
21 hours ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
21 hours ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
13 hours ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
15 hours ago
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 23, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.