Musk’s DOGE Wasted $21.7B Paying 300K+ Federal Workers to Do Nothing, Senate Report Finds

Elon Musk was supposed to save American taxpayers from government bloat. Instead, according to a Senate report, his DOGE initiative wasted $21.7 billion in federal funds — nearly two and a half times what it managed to cut.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was launched under President Donald Trump, with Musk tasked to slash $2 trillion in waste by July 2026. The effort quickly unraveled. Musk exited his role in May after a falling-out with Trump. Meanwhile, Congress passed laws that increased federal spending, further deepening the deficit.

A 55-page report released by Senate Democrats under Senator Richard Blumenthal reveals that DOGE failed and caused massive waste. “This report is a searing indictment of DOGE’s false claims,” Blumenthal said.

The most costly blunder was the Deferred Resignation Program, which paid 200,000 federal employees not to work for up to six months, costing $14.8 billion. Intended to boost morale, it instead drained funds.

Another $6.1 billion was lost to extended administrative leave for over 100,000 employees — workers who were effectively fired but kept on payroll. Additionally, $263 million disappeared due to frozen Department of Energy loans, and $155 million was spent making employees send weekly emails listing five accomplishments, with refusal treated as resignation.

DOGE also wasted $110 million in dumped aid, $42 million relocating workers to offices, $38 million on misaligned projects at NIH and IRS, and $66 million on underused consultants. DOGE’s own operations cost $50 million.

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Instead of cutting waste, the initiative disrupted functioning systems and demoralized workers. Democrats are now calling for audits across 27 agencies and hinting at possible criminal investigations.

In the end, taxpayers are left covering $21.7 billion in losses.

$21.7 Billion Total Waste A Senate report estimates DOGE caused $21.7 billion in taxpayer waste between January and mid-July 2025.

$14.8 Billion for 200K Employees Paid Not to Work Deferred Resignation Program paid 200,000 federal workers to stay home for up to eight months.

$6.1 Billion on Administrative Leave for 100K+ Employees Over 100,000 employees were placed on paid administrative leave for weeks or months.

Summing Up: 300,000+ Workers and $21.7B Burned These two categories account for nearly $21 billion of the total waste.

The full $21.7B also includes losses from spoiled supplies, failed projects, and costly relocations.