Billionaire Elon Musk has boasted of putting the vast US aid agency "through the woodchipper"
Elon Musk is the face of the DOGE, which promised to cut unnecessary government spending and downsize the federal government. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • DOGE terminated an $8.5 million contract for 'fiscal stewardship' and an EEO DEIA contract
  • It canceled several NIH programs centered on inclusivity
  • Musk said 'corruption' was attacking him as he attacked government corruption
  • He also re-shared a video of Obama talking about 'pointless' and 'stupid' government spending

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said Thursday that it was able to save hundreds of millions in taxpayer money in just two days after it pushed federal agencies to terminate over 200 "wasteful contracts."

The DOGE, an unofficial government agency directly reporting to President Donald Trump, said it was able to save $400 million from 239 terminated contracts worth $1.7 billion.

Which Key Contracts Have Been Terminated?

According to the DOGE's website (still updating) and X posts, key contracts that were terminated in the last two days were:

  • $8.5 million consulting contract – The contract was supposedly for the purpose of improving "fiscal stewardship" and to help "reskill the workforce."
  • $440,000 EEO DEIA support contract – Not many details were provided, but EEO (equal employment opportunity) and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) programs are designed to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) was also pushed to cancel some major grants this week, including a $740,000 grant that supposedly examined social networks among "black and Latino sexual minority men in New Jersey."

There was also a recently canceled NIH grant worth $620,000 that was supposedly for "an LGB+ inclusive teen pregnancy prevention program for transgender boys."

Elon Musk Says 'Corruption' Attacking Him

A few hours after the DOGE posted its latest update on canceled contracts, Musk took to his own account to re-share a post that suggested he was being attacked by corrupt individuals or entities.

The tech billionaire only said, "Exactly," to the post, but the post has already logged over 11 million views amid recent attacks against some major Tesla locations.

Earlier this week, over half a dozen Tesla charging stations were torched near Boston amid increasing opposition to Musk's continuing government downsizing that has drawn much criticism from Democratic lawmakers and advocates.

Trump has stood behind his close policy advisor amid the backlash, even going as far as advertising Tesla cars outside the White House to show support as boycott calls intensify.

Aside from lamenting recent attacks on his companies, Musk also re-shared a video of former U.S. President Barack Obama speaking about a program to crack down on "pointless waste and stupid spending" within the government. "Obama sounds exactly like DOGE!" the Tesla CEO wrote.

Musk has repeatedly insisted that his strategies—including widespread federal layoffs and grant cancellations—will save billions of taxpayer money that could then be diverted toward the country's multi-trillion-dollar debt.

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