The fired inspectors general look a lot better at saving money than Elon Musk
President Donald Trump fired inspectors general across 18 federal agencies in his first week in office, and then another IG in February, in a systematic ousting of the independent watchdogs who monitor the federal government for waste, fraud and abuse. Now a new report released by Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee says the potential savings the IGs had identified before being fired exceeds what Elon Musk claims he has saved with his so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
As Musk reduces his involvement in the Trump administration, the report's numbers help hammer home just how poorly and foolishly he has pursued 'efficiency.' He rode into Washington with his DOGE cowboys, confident that their rogue outsider status gave them a unique ability to drain 'the swamp' of excess spending. But they not only failed to come anywhere close to hitting their goals — they may have underperformed compared with the personnel who were already in the government to help them achieve their purported goal.
Musk's promised pot of savings began at $2 trillion, before shrinking to $1 trillion and then to $150 billion. His estimated savings have ticked up again slightly to an estimated $170 billion, or 8.5% of his initial promise.
The Senate Democrats' report crunched the numbers and found that the 19 fired IGs had identified and recommended $175 billion in potential savings through audits, investigations and efficiency proposals. That's $5 billion more than Musk's estimate after months of chaotic hacking away at the administrative state. (While the offices of inspectors general still exist, the firings of the IGs had a demoralizing and chilling effect on the offices, according to the report, and the main duties of rooting out waste, fraud and corruption appear to have been given to Musk.)
Granted, the report's calculation of the IGs' potential savings wouldn't necessarily end up hitting its topline number. But the source of its estimates for cost-cutting is far more reliable than Musk's estimates.
Inspectors general are independent, nonpartisan professional watchdogs. They report to respective agency heads, but those agency heads can't alter their reports, which must be shared with Congress. They have a track record of rooting out waste — in fiscal year 2024, all IGs in the federal government had "over $71 billion in combined monetary impact" through their efficiency initiatives, audits and investigations, according to the Democrats' report. These efforts include things like questioning unnecessary spending, finding and cracking down on illegal federal contracts, sniffing out public officials inappropriately using money and tracking down actors trying to defraud the government through illicit procurement schemes.
By contrast, Musk's savings estimates aren't trustworthy, given the long record of Musk's exaggerating savings using incorrect calculations, such as double-counting canceled federal contracts, claiming savings over already canceled contracts and not accounting for the added cost of revived contracts. Musk's website for tracking DOGE savings doesn't acknowledge or account for errors when they're identified by the media. Those errors are simply deleted.
Moreover, the durability of Musk's cuts is also far more questionable, since they've often been implemented with such brute force and speed that they're often overturned. Many have been reversed by the courts. Others, such as Ebola prevention efforts, were reversed after Musk admitted they were dangerous and 'accidentally' canceled. (Along the way, a number of federal agencies have simply ignored or declined to enforce his efforts to cull employees through efficiency efforts.) Musk also clashed with many of Trump's Cabinet secretaries over cuts that they didn't want to implement. Some watchdog estimates suggest that Musk's efforts might end up costing the federal government more than it saves, in part because of lost productivity, the high costs of rehiring and lost revenue collection capacities. "So it's, like, it's not easy," Musk said when reflecting on his progress after 100 days.
Many of Musk's cuts have been so controversial and politically risky — such as his attacks on Social Security and medical research funding — that Republican lawmakers have objected to codifying them into law. Which is to say that many of the savings DOGE has under its belt could be ephemeral and overturned by Congress or another administration.
Perhaps more important than comparing the saving numbers is noting how Trump and Musk have tried to sideline effective tools for rooting out waste and good government. As Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the ranking member of the committee that produced the report, said in a statement: 'If the Trump Administration were serious about eliminating waste, it would rely on the proven track record of independent Inspectors General. Instead, President Trump's decision to fire them will not only undermine efforts to reduce waste — it sends a message of intimidation to anyone who wants to hold this administration accountable.'
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
30 minutes ago
- CNN
Pakistan nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, praising ‘stellar statemanship'
Pakistan has formally recommended US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his 'decisive diplomatic intervention' following a spike in violence between India and Pakistan earlier this year. The government praised Trump for leveraging his 'pivotal leadership' in May, when several days of cross-border strikes marked the worst regional fighting between the two nuclear-armed nations since 1971, killing dozens and stoking fears of a wider war. Islamabad and New Delhi agreed to a US-brokered truce on May 8, as one final burst of strikes ripped through parts of the long-disputed Kashmir region – to which both countries claim full sovereignty. 'At a moment of heightened regional turbulence, President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi,' Pakistan's government said in a statement on Saturday. The US president helped in 'averting a broader conflict between the two nuclear states that would have had catastrophic consequences for millions of people in the region and beyond' the statement added. 'This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker and his commitment to conflict resolution through dialogue.' Indian and Pakistani officials gave contradictory accounts of how the agreement on a truce was reached at the time. While Islamabad lauded the involvement of the White House, New Delhi downplayed it – keen to relay the ceasefire as a victory and saying the neighbors 'directly' collaborated on the truce. Governments, other institutions and certain individuals can nominate any living person or active organization for the Nobel Peace Prize. The winner is decided each year by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Trump has long sought to present himself as a global peacemaker. Before his second term in office, the Republican leader ferociously criticized his predecessor President Joe Biden's failed attempts to negotiate an end to Israel's brutal campaign against Hamas in Gaza, and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now, a new war is brewing in the Middle East after Israel unleashed mass strikes on Iran on June 13, prompting retaliatory attacks from Tehran – a week-long conflict that has already inflicted a bitter human cost. More than 400 people have been killed in Iran, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday, citing Iran's health ministry. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed, according to the Israeli government. Israel says the attacks are targeting nuclear sites and high-ranking military officers, several of whom have been killed. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks deep into northern and southern Israel. Earlier this week, Trump set out a self-imposed two-week timeline for a decision on US military involvement in Iran. After meeting with a top EU official and foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, Iran's foreign minister said his country would not re-enter negotiations with the US while it remains under attack from Israel. Just on Friday, Trump sought to stress his diplomatic successes in the Middle East and beyond, while suggesting he would not gain recognition for them. 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan,' he posted on his Truth Social platform. 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be.'
CNN
31 minutes ago
- CNN
Pakistan nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, praising ‘stellar statemanship'
Pakistan has formally recommended US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his 'decisive diplomatic intervention' following a spike in violence between India and Pakistan earlier this year. The government praised Trump for leveraging his 'pivotal leadership' in May, when several days of cross-border strikes marked the worst regional fighting between the two nuclear-armed nations since 1971, killing dozens and stoking fears of a wider war. Islamabad and New Delhi agreed to a US-brokered truce on May 8, as one final burst of strikes ripped through parts of the long-disputed Kashmir region – to which both countries claim full sovereignty. 'At a moment of heightened regional turbulence, President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi,' Pakistan's government said in a statement on Saturday. The US president helped in 'averting a broader conflict between the two nuclear states that would have had catastrophic consequences for millions of people in the region and beyond' the statement added. 'This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker and his commitment to conflict resolution through dialogue.' Indian and Pakistani officials gave contradictory accounts of how the agreement on a truce was reached at the time. While Islamabad lauded the involvement of the White House, New Delhi downplayed it – keen to relay the ceasefire as a victory and saying the neighbors 'directly' collaborated on the truce. Governments, other institutions and certain individuals can nominate any living person or active organization for the Nobel Peace Prize. The winner is decided each year by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Trump has long sought to present himself as a global peacemaker. Before his second term in office, the Republican leader ferociously criticized his predecessor President Joe Biden's failed attempts to negotiate an end to Israel's brutal campaign against Hamas in Gaza, and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now, a new war is brewing in the Middle East after Israel unleashed mass strikes on Iran on June 13, prompting retaliatory attacks from Tehran – a week-long conflict that has already inflicted a bitter human cost. More than 400 people have been killed in Iran, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday, citing Iran's health ministry. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed, according to the Israeli government. Israel says the attacks are targeting nuclear sites and high-ranking military officers, several of whom have been killed. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks deep into northern and southern Israel. Earlier this week, Trump set out a self-imposed two-week timeline for a decision on US military involvement in Iran. After meeting with a top EU official and foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, Iran's foreign minister said his country would not re-enter negotiations with the US while it remains under attack from Israel. Just on Friday, Trump sought to stress his diplomatic successes in the Middle East and beyond, while suggesting he would not gain recognition for them. 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan,' he posted on his Truth Social platform. 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be.'
Politico
40 minutes ago
- Politico
‘Petty and unserious': Padilla blasts Vance for calling him ‘Jose Padilla'
Sen. Alex Padilla snapped back at Vice President JD Vance Saturday, calling the vice president 'petty and unserious' after Vance referred to the senator as 'Jose' during a press conference in Los Angeles the previous evening. The squabble between Padilla and Vance is the latest clash between Trump administration officials and California Democrats as hostilities brew over President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration in the city, which has seen numerous ICE sweeps and significant counterprotests in recent weeks. 'He knows my name,' Padilla told MSNBC Saturday morning. 'Look, sadly it's just an indicator of how petty and unserious this administration is. He's the vice president of the United States. You'd think he'd take the situation in Los Angeles more seriously.' Vance visited Los Angeles on Friday amid the heightened tensions, meeting with federal law enforcement and Marines his administration called in to quiet anti-ICE protests in the city, a move that prompted backlash from Democrats. During a speech in which the vice president defended the administration's decision to call in National Guard troops — which a federal appeals court upheld this week — Vance also bashed his former Senate colleague, who was handcuffed and removed from a press briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week after attempting to question the secretary. 'I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't the theater,' Vance said, deriding Padilla's handcuffing at Noem's briefing the prior week as 'pure political theater.' Vance's press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, said that the vice president misspoke and 'must have mixed up two people who have broken the law.' Padilla, the senator, was not charged after the incident at Noem's press conference. It isn't clear who Van Kirk could be referring to, but a Jose Padilla was convicted over 15 years ago of conspiracy to commit murder and fund terrorism. California Democrats were having none of it. 'JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate,' Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a post on X. 'Calling him 'Jose Padilla' is not an accident.' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pulled no punches at a press conference later on Friday, denouncing Vance's earlier statement. 'Mr. Vice President, how dare you disrespect our senator,' Bass said. 'I guess he just looks like anybody to you,' the mayor continued, appearing to reference the underlying racialized tone of Vance's comment. Padilla also addressed his former Senate colleague-turned vice president directly in a post to X, flipping Vance's jab about 'political theater' back at him. 'You know my name, @JDVance,' the California senator wrote. 'If you want to talk about political theater, let's start with the thousands of troops that your administration is using as props in Los Angeles.'
