The U.S. government’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created during former President Donald Trump’s time in office, has suddenly stopped publishing details about canceled contracts linked to international aid programs. According to officials, the reason is related to “legal issues.” However, the exact details behind this decision have not been fully explained.
What Changed on the DOGE Website?
Previously, DOGE listed thousands of canceled contracts from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on its website. These were shown under a section called the “Wall of Receipts,” which was meant to show transparency about how government funds were saved by ending certain contracts.
But now, all that’s left on the site are the total contract values and the amount DOGE claims to have saved by canceling them. No other details are available.
Out of all contracts listed on the site, 45% are USAID contracts, and these represent 57% of the $21.6 billion that DOGE says it saved.
Legal Trouble Behind the Move
A White House official told CBS News that this change is because of ongoing court cases, but didn’t say which one. Earlier this month, a federal judge said that DOGE may have broken the law when it tried to shut down USAID. Because of this, the judge has stopped DOGE from making any more moves to close down the agency.
This legal action could be the main reason why DOGE removed the contract details from its website.
Are the Savings Real?
DOGE says it saved $12.4 billion by canceling USAID contracts. But experts say this number may not be accurate.
DOGE calculated the savings using the full potential value of each contract—basically, the maximum amount that could be spent. However, most of the time, the government doesn’t spend the full amount. Former USAID data expert Brian Banks says the actual savings are closer to $6.7 billion.
Errors in DOGE’s Accounting
Several news reports have found mistakes in DOGE’s numbers. Some contracts were counted twice or even three times, which could make the savings look bigger than they really are. Even though some errors have been fixed, it’s unclear if they were removed from the total $103 billion that DOGE claims to have saved since it started.
Elon Musk’s Role and Transparency Claims
DOGE is led by billionaire Elon Musk, who is also a senior advisor to Donald Trump. He has often said that the agency is very transparent about its work.
In a March 17 interview with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Musk said, “We’re very public with what we do. Literally every action that we do, small or large, we post on the DOGE.gov website.”
But now that the USAID contract details are gone, it’s hard to know which programs have been cut.
What Kind of Aid Programs Were Affected?
CBS News got a list of over 5,000 canceled USAID contracts as of March 12. These included:
- $1.1 billion in programs to fight malaria
- $1.39 billion for general global health efforts
- $171.7 million for food and clean water projects
- $435.2 million for education programs abroad
With the data now removed from the website, it’s harder for the public to understand which important programs have been shut down.
The removal of USAID contract details from the DOGE website has raised serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the true impact on global aid. While DOGE claims to have saved billions, experts and journalists have found flaws in its calculations.
And with an ongoing court case against shutting down USAID, the future of these international support programs remains unclear. This situation shows how important transparency is, especially when it comes to public money and global health efforts.