The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has uncovered significant cost savings at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), revealing that the agency was previously spending approximately $380,000 per month on minor website modifications under a costly external contract, as per Fox News.
According to DOGE, the VA has since canceled the contract and transitioned the work to an internal software engineer, who now handles the same tasks in approximately 10 hours per week.
“Good work by @DeptVetAffairs,” DOGE said in a post on X. “VA was previously paying ~$380,000/month for minor website modifications. That contract has not been renewed, and the same work is now being executed by 1 internal VA software engineer spending ~10 hours/week.”
VA Secretary Doug Collins has defended DOGE’s cost-cutting measures as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reform the department and improve services for veterans. In February, the VA announced the dismissal of over 1,000 employees, a move intended to redirect more than $98 million per year back to health care, benefits, and services for VA beneficiaries.
Billionaire Elon Musk is heading up DOGE since President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the department on Jan. 20. Trump tasked the organization with optimizing the federal government, streamlining operations, and slashing spending within an 18-month timeframe. In addition to identifying wasteful contracts like the VA’s website maintenance agreement, DOGE continues to uncover instances of waste and potential fraud within federal agencies.
Last week, DOGE announced the termination of 113 contracts valued at $4.7 billion, including a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) consulting contract related to Peru’s climate change activities. The Department of Labor also canceled $577 million in “America Last” grants, resulting in $237 million in savings.
These canceled grants included $10 million for “gender equity in the Mexican workplace,” $12.2 million for “worker empowerment in South America,” and $6.25 million for “improving respect for workers’ rights in agricultural supply chains” in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
As of April 2, DOGE claims on its website to have saved Americans $140 billion, or $869.57 per taxpayer.
However, DOGE’s activities have also drawn criticism. Some contend that the organization has too much access to federal systems and should not be authorized to cancel federal contracts or make budget cuts to various agencies. These critics argue that DOGE’s sweeping powers could lead to unintended consequences and potentially harm vital government programs.
