DOGE Wall of Receipts: More Transparency Needed on How Savings Are Derived from Contract, Grant, and Lease Terminations | U.S. GAO
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GAO-26-108615
Published: Aug 06, 2026. Publicly Released: Aug 06, 2026.
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Fast Facts
The President established the Department of Government Efficiency to transform federal spending. DOGE instructed agencies to review federal contracts, grants, and real estate leases to see if they could be terminated or modified.
DOGE posted its claimed savings from this effort on a webpage known as the "Wall of Receipts," but some savings estimates are incorrect or lack supporting evidence across contracts, grants, and leases. For example, 108 leases it reported that it cut were already being phased out when DOGE was established.
We recommended that the "Wall of Receipts" prominently display its data limitations.
Screenshot of the Department of Government Efficiency's website.
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Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began posting its estimated savings on a web page known as the Wall of Receipts on February 17, 2025. As of July 7, 2026, the Wall of Receipts reported savings of $110 billion across contracts, grants, and leases, but some savings estimates are incorrect or lack supporting evidence. While DOGE provided some information about estimated savings, several issues limit the transparency and reliability of these reported savings.
DOGE was not transparent regarding methodologies used to calculate savings . Specifically, DOGE did not use its stated methodology to calculate the majority of savings associated with the contracts reported as terminated. For grants, DOGE did not provide sufficient information to verify the method used to calculate 96 percent of DOGE-reported savings. Similarly, the Wall of Receipts does not include an explanation of how the savings from terminated leases were calculated.
The Wall of Receipts includes leases identified for termination before DOGE was established . Specifically,108 of the 264 leases identified for termination on the Wall of Receipts, about $15.3 million of the total $53.5 million in savings, were already in process for termination when DOGE was established.
GAO’s review of selected contracts identified potential cost savings, but the basis for some reported savings is unknown. For example, DOGE reported $1.7 billion in savings on the Department of Defense’s Defense Health Agency contract for IT services at more than 700 military treatment facilities worldwide. While DOGE initially identified the...