GAO finds 96% of DOGE’s claimed savings on federal grants cannot be verified

Some savings that DOGE posted on its “wall of receipts” website were already being phased out before DOGE was established.

• The Department of Government Efficiency touted that it saved $110 billion across federal contracts, grants and leases. But many of DOGE’s claims don’t have supporting evidence and some are simply incorrect. A new report from the Government Accountability Office finds that 96% of DOGE’s claimed savings on federal grants cannot be verified. And some savings that DOGE posted on its “wall of receipts” website were already being phased out before DOGE was established.
• The Navy is overhauling how it develops and acquires robotic and autonomous systems. The service has established a new Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Robotic and Autonomous Systems as part of a broader reorganization of its RAS leadership. Chris Miller, who currently serves as the portfolio acquisition executive for maritime, will lead the effort. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said this reorganization is a “decisive step toward correcting years of fragmented requirements, resourcing and acquisition practices that dispersed accountability, complicated industry engagement and slowed delivery to the warfighter.” Chris Miller, who currently serves as the portfolio acquisition executive for maritime, will lead the effort. The Navy is considering whether to move staff supporting the new office out of Washington, D.C. and “close to Fleet warfighters.”
• Sustaining U.S. military readiness, ensuring weapon system acquisition and modernization and improving financial and fraud risk management are the areas requiring the Defense Department’s most immediate focus. The Government Accountability Office found that DoD continues to lag behind the rest of the federal government in implementing the watchdog’s recommendations. The watchdog says the department needs to improve military readiness, develop a more comprehensive defense industrial base strategy, as well as strengthen its information systems to help achieve a clean audit. Financial management and weapon systems acquisition areas remain on GAO’s High Risk List. The watchdog told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth it “welcome the opportunity to discuss how to address its open recommendations.”
• Each branch of the armed forces was on track to meet its annual recruiting goal as of the end of June, the most recent Pentagon data shows. All had exceeded their year-to-date targets with three months left in the fiscal year, often seen as the make-or-break point for signing up new enlisted recruits. The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard were the only two reserve components falling short on accessions at the end of the third quarter. All but the Army have met their quality benchmarks so far.
• Federal employees are getting more details on what to expect now, if they appeal an adverse action. Employees who challenge an agency’s firing will no longer have a right to a hearing or an investigation. They’ll also have to take their case to the Office of Personnel Management, rather than the Merit Systems Protection Board. New details from OPM on the changes come after it finalized rules to overhaul the process for employees who dispute a firing or demotion. OPM says the changes are meant to streamline and speed up the process, but critics have raised concerns that it will create an unfair process for federal employees.
• The Army’s force-wide consolidation of official social media accounts has spurred concerns that key portions of the service’s industrial base could be left in the dark even as leaders encourage new entrants and innovation. An Army memo says reducing social media use will “reduce risk while speaking with a clear, unified voice to communicate readiness and provide valuable information to soldiers and families.” Those worries flared earlier this year when the Army’s Office of Small Business Programs announced it would stop posting on LinkedIn, where it has amassed more than 25,000 followers. An Army memo says reducing social media use will “reduce risk while speaking with a clear, unified voice to communicate readiness and provide valuable information to soldiers and families.”

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