Inside the DOGE Purge: Thousands of Government Contracts Axed—Here’s What They’re Not Telling You

So here’s the situation. Under President Trump’s second term, Elon Musk was put in charge of a new government department called DOGE—the Department of Government Efficiency. The idea behind DOGE is pretty simple on the surface: cut wasteful spending and clean up federal operations.

One of their biggest early moves has been canceling a massive number of government contracts, leases, and grants. On paper, it sounds like a bold step toward saving taxpayer dollars. But once you dig into the details, it gets a lot more complicated.

Big Numbers, Small Impact?

Here’s what’s been reported so far:

• Around 2,300 federal contracts have been canceled.

• The total value of these contracts was roughly $11.3 billion.

• But here’s the catch—nearly 40% of those cancellations are expected to result in no real financial savings.

How does that happen? Well, many of the contracts that were canceled had already been fully obligated. In other words, the government had already committed to paying for those services, regardless of whether they’re completed. Canceling them now doesn’t undo the expense—it just stops the process midstream while the bills still need to be paid.

Some Major Contracts That Were Canceled

A few of the canceled contracts are getting a lot of attention. One of the biggest was a $1 billion deal with Leidos, a major player in the federal tech and defense space. That cancellation made headlines.

At the Department of Agriculture, DOGE canceled contracts related to diversity training and onboarding. One was a $1 million communications campaign, and another was a $375,000 onboarding service contract.

Even a $300,000 research grant at the University of Oklahoma got the axe. It was funded by the National Science Foundation to study political advertising. DOGE claimed this cancellation saved about $124,000—but critics say the work was mostly done already.

Is This Really About Saving Money?

That’s the million-dollar question—or in this case, the billion-dollar one.

A lot of the canceled contracts were either already completed or already paid for. Which means canceling them now doesn’t actually return money to the budget. It just halts services that the government had already promised to fund.

Critics say this is more about making headlines than making real savings. It’s easy to announce big numbers and bold moves. It’s a lot harder to show that those moves actually help the bottom line.

Real People Are Feeling the Effects

Behind all these numbers are real people and real consequences.

Federal agencies that relied on those contracts are now scrambling to adjust. Some services have stopped entirely. Others have been delayed. Employees in those agencies are frustrated and uncertain.

And for contractors—many of whom are small businesses or universities—these cancellations are disruptive and costly. Work gets interrupted. Payments are delayed. People get laid off.

Where Can You See the Full List?

DOGE has released a detailed public list of all the canceled contracts, leases, and grants. They’ve even branded it the “Wall of Receipts.”

You can view the full list and dig through the details at sites like HigherGov, which offers a searchable database. It’s all out there, and people are watching closely to see what’s really being cut—and whether it makes any real difference.

This massive contract purge by DOGE is a mix of politics, disruption, and an attempt to look like serious cost-cutting. On one hand, it’s forcing conversations about how the government spends money. On the other, it’s causing real problems—and in many cases, not actually saving anything.

Whether DOGE ends up being a bold reform or just political theater remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the impact is already being felt across Washington and beyond.