Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sharply reduced the number of federal real estate leases it claims to have terminated, suggesting it has not been as efficient at slashing government spending as advertised.
Musk’s cost-cutting department has been bragging for weeks that it had terminated 700 government leases since President Donald Trump assumed office, saving over $460 million in the process.
But at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday the group quietly removed 136 of the cancellations from its website, reducing its savings by around $140 million—nearly 30 percent of the gross total.
Although the exact reason for the deletions remains unclear, early signs suggest the cancellations mean DOGE is experiencing significantly more pushback from government agencies than initially expected.
Last week, the General Services Administration, which oversees the federal real estate portfolio, announced it was rescinding over 100 lease termination notices, according to The New York Times. Although the exact reasons for the cancellations remain unclear, some were rescinded due to “feedback from customer agencies,” while others had allegedly faced internal pushback from lawmakers and agency officials.
Other agencies which appear to have had success in staving off DOGE cuts include the Army Corps of Engineers, who fought off the closure of their office in Chicago by arguing the loss of office space could result in longer emergency response times. The National Weather Service and Indian Health Service also managed to save their offices from closure after working “closely with DOGE and the Administration,” the Times reports.
An Energy Department office in New Mexico that manages a nuclear waste repository also appears to have been saved from closure, although no official reason for it being rescinded appears to have been given.
DOGE also removed all mention of plans to cut dozens of local IRS and Social Security Administration offices from its website, although more than 30 properties used by the two agencies remain listed, suggesting the battle to save them appears to be ongoing.
Last week the General Services Administration revealed it had sent out 827 lease termination notices and rescinded 117 of them, although they declined to name which departments had gotten their cancellations rescinded.
Stephanie Joseph, a spokeswoman for the agency, told the NYT in a statement: “G.S.A. is in constant communications with our customer agencies to ensure they are aware of our actions and have the opportunity to work with us to come to the best possible workplace solutions to support their mission.”
Last month also saw the FBI push back against DOGE’s creeping authority, as Acting Director Kash Patel sent a message to staff telling them to ignore an email sent by Musk asking them to post a weekly summary of their accomplishments or risk being fired.
The email, obtained by NBC, said: “FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
