# ‘No, we didn’t’: DOGE staffer admits Elon Musk’s cost-cutting agency failed to reduce the federal deficit

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/no-we-didnt-doge-staffer-admits-elon-musks-cost-cutting-agency-failed-to-reduce-the-federal-deficit/
- Published: 2026-03-19T09:00:00-05:00
- Author: Curated by Theresa Wysocki

Photo: President Donald Trump participates in a press conference with departing DOGE adviser Elon Musk, Friday, May 30, 2025, in the Oval Office. Photo credit: Official White House photo by Molly Riley via Flickr. US government work. Article by Sasha Rogelberg. Yahoo Finance – March 16, 2026. Article originally published by Fortune. Video depositions of DOGE staffers: Internet Archive. In its early days, the Elon Musk–led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) bragged it could cut up to $2 trillion from the U.S. federal budget. In December, Musk conceded the special advisory saved only $200 billion in “zombie payments” for canceled contracts or fraudulent unemployment claims. But a recent estimation of DOGE’s overall impact indicated any savings it found did little, if anything, for the deficit. […] Click here to view original web page at www.finance.yahoo.com Video: DOGE Lead admits all of their firings did nothing to reduce federal deficit – The Independent Related articles: Trump admin has viral DOGE videos taken down. They’re already back up. – Mashable Inside DOGE’s early days of pressure campaigns, rule breaking and ‘chaos’ – Government Executive What was Doge? How Elon Musk tried to gamify government – The Guardian Ex-DOGE Staffer Admits the Whole Thing Was a Total Bust – The New Republic Turns Out The DOGE Bros Who Killed Humanities Grants Are Kinda Sensitive About It – Techdirt Ex-DOGE staffer raises eyebrows with ‘arrogant’ deposition: ‘Oh look, a felony’ – Raw Story You’re Going To Want To Watch This DOGE Staffer Try To Define What DEI Is – HuffPost Curated by Theresa Wysocki See Full Bio