Trump's Department of Government Efficiency pushes back over report that it 'doesn't exist'

WASHINGTON

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) established under US President Donald Trump rejected a report asserting that the office “doesn’t exist” despite having eight months left on its charter.

"As usual, this is fake news from @Reuters," DOGE said Monday on the US social media company X’s platform.

Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernize the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse, it said.

"Just last week, DOGE terminated 78 wasteful contracts and saved taxpayers $335M," it added, without providing details about the specific contracts or agencies affected.

"We’ll be back in a few days with our regularly scheduled Friday update," it added.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk headed DOGE’s cost-cutting initiative, which aims to slash spending in an effort to root out government waste and significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce.

Musk officially stepped back from his role in May, but the commission did not officially dissolve. DOGE’s charter is scheduled to expire in July 2026.