Blue Press Journal

Tag: DOGE

  • The GAO Finds That DOGE Budget Reports Were Misleading

    NEWS REPORT by Winston Wendell

    According to a report released on Thursday, the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE, led by Elon Musk himself, was making up figures about the amount of money it was saving the country. The report was requested by Democratic senators Gary Peters of Michigan and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and was conducted by the Government Accountability Office.

    DOGE was found to have used “misleading practices” when it came to canceled leases and active government contracts. Additionally, the audit found that the department provided insufficient evidence for the methods used in 96 percent of the canceled grants.

    The Department of Government Efficiency was also found to have failed to follow their own formulas when it came to calculating figures for canceled leases and contracts, and in the cases where they did follow their formulas, they either missed out on the details or did not disclose them when they should have. When they did follow their own procedures, the Government Accountability Office found that they overlooked the complexities of government contracts, including liabilities and penalties that come with breaking a contract before the due date.

    “The report shows that the Trump administration’s cost-saving mission was conducted in a misleading fashion, achieving little apart from putting at risk taxpayer data and key programs,” said Senator Peters.

    “President Trump and his allies in the Senate and House have been using DOGE as a fig leaf to hide tax-cut giveaways to the wealthy and large corporations while pretending to save the deficit,” said Senator Blumenthal.

    Many people have responded to the report, including Jessica Tillipman, associate dean of the GWU School of Law, who specializes in government procurement. Tillipman cited several errors she found on the social media accounts of DOGE, one of which being a claim that the department had saved $28 million reduction in expenditures for an Air Force agreement, whereas the actual financial relief amounted to roughly $600,000 from a canceled lease. “That figure doesn’t account for the present value of future lease payments, which would reduce the supposed $3.7 million savings,” Tillipman said.

    “DOGE’s fiscal wins were mostly fictional,” write Reason editor-in-chief Eric Boehm, who covered the story for the libertarian magazine. “According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the Trump administration’s claims about savings from slashing federal spending were often based on faulty math.”

    “DOGE may soon start spending more taxpayer money, but at least the government watchdogs are forcing Musk’s agency to be more open about how it spends our money when it comes to cutting back federal services,” concluded Senator Blumenthal.

    Fediverse Reactions

  • DOGE is Incompetent

    Approximately 40% of the federal contracts that DOGE proudly canceled in an attempt to save money are actually not going to save the government any money at all. Shocking, I know. According to the administration’s own data, 417 of the contracts that were axed won’t result in any savings. 

    Let’s not forget about those “receipts” that Elon Musk’s DOGE loves to flaunt. Turns out, many of them are not receipts at all, but rather agreements with vendors who may do future government work. So, essentially, they’re just setting up potential future spending, not actually saving anything in the present. Bravo, DOGE.

    One glaring instance of his utter incompetence was the reckless cancellation of crucial Ebola prevention efforts. In a staggering display of disregard, Musk brazenly acknowledged that errors would occur, yet he had the audacity to assure the public that they would be swiftly rectified. The statement from the world’s richest man claiming that Ebola prevention had not been hindered by DOGE cuts was fiercely contested by experts in infectious diseases, underscoring the grave concern over his mismanagement.

    “What Elon Musk said today was just categorically untrue,” Dr. Craig Spencer, a doctor and Ebola specialist who has himself survived the often fatal disease, told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.

    An anonymous USAID official even chimed in, revealing that while there was a waiver for Ebola, funds have never been reinstated. 

    But wait, there’s more! Canceling these contracts doesn’t actually result in immediate savings, and in some cases, the government may not have even spent any money on them to begin with. So, the contracts that were supposed to improve government efficiency are now just adding to the growing list of issues with DOGE’s claims of cutting government waste. It’s like a never-ending cycle of bureaucratic nonsense.

    DOGE’s attempts to save money are about as effective as trying to catch a unicorn. But hey, at least they’re consistent in their incompetence.

  • DOGE’S possible legal violations

    Elon Musk and his team are pushing for budget cuts and layoffs throughout the federal government, yet the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Musk, has seen its funding skyrocket to nearly $40 million. Despite being hailed as “maximally transparent” by Musk, details about the department’s spending and operations remain shrouded in secrecy.

    President Donald Trump has acknowledged that around 100 individuals are employed by DOGE, but his administration has been reluctant to disclose any information regarding the department’s activities. Both Trump and Musk have defended DOGE as a necessary tool for streamlining a bloated bureaucracy, but the consequences of their actions have been devastating. Essential programs that catered to vulnerable populations have been forced to shut down due to the budget cuts.

    Most of DOGE’s funding has been funneled from other federal agencies through the Economy Act, a law dating back nearly a century. Despite being treated as a federal agency by the Trump administration, DOGE has refused to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests, raising concerns about potential violations.

    In the midst of numerous lawsuits related to DOGE, a federal judge has questioned the government’s contradictory stance on the department’s status. While Musk has praised the cuts made by DOGE and criticized targeted agencies, Trump officials now claim that he is not directly overseeing its operations.

    The operating practices of DOGE have raised serious doubts and left many unanswered questions. The department’s ambiguous status and lack of transparency have sparked concerns about potential legal violations.

  • Who’s playing golf … Trump … and its cost the US Taxpayers 10.7 million already!!

    Well, well, well, looks like Trump is really sticking it to the taxpayers by spending $10.7 million on golf trips already. Who knew playing golf could be so expensive? Apparently not the experts at DOGE, who are too busy ransacking the federal budget to notice. And let’s not forget about Elon Musk and his “high-IQ” team, who are too busy labeling things they don’t like as “fraud” to notice Trump’s golfing habits.

    It’s not like Trump has played golf every weekend since taking office… oh wait, he has. And he’s managed to visit his own properties nine times in his first 30 days. But hey, as long as the money ends up in the president’s pocket, it’s not corruption, right?

    In Trump’s world, spending $152 million on golf over his first four years is just business as usual. Who needs to worry about wasteful spending when you can profit off the government’s dime? So much for draining the swamp, more like filling it with sand traps.

  • Confidential information leaked on Elon Musk’s DOGE website

    This week, some clever coders decided to play a little game of “let’s expose Elon Musk’s official Department of Government Efficiency website for all its security flaws.” And guess what? They hit the jackpot! The Huffington Post is now reporting that the website has gone ahead and published some top-secret classified data. 

    Apparently, DOGE (not the cute dog meme, but the Department of Government Efficiency) thought it would be a great idea to share some super classified NOFURN info about the intelligence community’s headcount. Now, everyone is running around like headless chickens trying to figure out if their sensitive information has been compromised.

    One Defense Intelligence Agency employee, who shall remain nameless to avoid getting on the bad side of the big bosses, mentioned that NOFURN means “Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals.” In other words, keep your hands off unless you have a fancy authorization slip.

    Elon Musk, the man behind SpaceX and a $1.8 billion contract with the National Reconnaissance Office, can’t really play dumb here. I mean, come on, he knows a thing or two about intelligence agencies.

    DOGE sharing this top-secret info is just a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of things, right? According to some insider, these young programmers are just stumbling around in the dark when it comes to classified programs. Who knew, right?  Maybe there should be some normal oversight like an adult in the room. 

    So, now the National Reconnaissance Office is on high alert, trying to figure out if their offices have been infiltrated. It’s like a real-life spy thriller, but with less glamour and more panic. Oh, the joys of government efficiency under Musk and Trump!

  • Your personal data is not safe from Musk and his computer Ninjas

    Urgent Warning: Brace yourselves, folks! It seems that Musk’s buddy, Silicon Valley big shot Tom Krause, is now pulling the strings at the Bureau of Fiscal Service. This bureau handles over $5 trillion in payments each year for important programs like Social Security, Medicare, and tax refunds. And guess what? Musk is out here on social media demanding that all these payments be stopped immediately because he thinks they’re illegal.

    But wait, there’s more! Trump’s pal, 25-year-old Marko Elez, just left the bureau after some not-so-great publicity about his racist social media posts. This guy had access to a treasure trove of super sensitive personal information, like Social Security numbers and birthdays of individual taxpayers. So now we’ve got Trump and Musk handing over our personal info to people who shouldn’t even be trusted with a goldfish.  

    Mush is also infiltrating the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as if they have free rein over the entire operation! Reportedly, they’ve cunningly inserted themselves into critical payment and contracting systems, as revealed by insiders. These are not just any files; they are highly sensitive documents that could jeopardize payments for millions of Americans!

    CMS, the oh-so-politically and economically sensitive agency, is basically the brains behind the nation’s healthcare economy. They’re throwing around a cool $1.5 trillion in fiscal 2024, which is about 22% of the federal total.

    Oh, MAGA supporters, we tried to warn you about Project 2025, but it looks like you’re in for a rude awakening. You voted for Trump, and now it seems like you’ll be paying the price sooner rather than later. Good luck with that!

  • DOGE is DODGING Reality

    President-elect Donald Trump, in his infinite wisdom, has graciously appointed Musk and Ramaswamy as co-chiefs of the advisory panel. His brilliant plan involves extending and expanding the already massive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations that were passed during his first term. Because who needs a balanced budget when you can just keep throwing money at the rich, am I right?

    And let’s not forget about cutting Medicare, which would be a real challenge considering Trump promised it would be off-limits in his second term. I mean, who needs healthcare when you can just rely on the power of positive thinking, am I right? 

    Cutting Medicaid would also be a tough sell, what with all those pesky states, doctors, and millions of people who actually rely on the program. But hey, who cares about them when you can just keep lining the pockets of the wealthy, right?

    Oh, the joys of politics, Trump style.