Schumer demands details on DOGE savings claims

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is demanding proof of the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) savings claims, accusing DOGE and the linked Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in a letter of "stubbornly refus[ing] to release any information" about at least one of the canceled contracts that allegedly cut federal spending by millions.

"The lack of cooperation from both agencies is troubling," Schumer wrote in the letter to OPM Director Charles Ezell on Tuesday. "The public has a right to access documents concerning DOGE’s reported savings. Such documents must be readily available to ensure these claimed savings are real, legitimate and truly beneficial to taxpayers."

DOGE, effectively led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has posted a "Wall of Receipts" online listing nearly 8,500 government contracts that it says it canceled for a combined savings of $30 billion.

Schumer specifically cited DOGE's claims that more than $318 million in savings came from canceling a request for bids on a contract to "provide human resources" through OPM. OPM hasn't supplied documents to show that it was seeking proposals for such a contract, and one doesn't appear in federal databases of solicitations, The New York Times reported on April 13.

"By failing to provide clear documentation and denying access to records surrounding this solicitation, OPM has made it impossible to determine whether the cancellation of this proposal resulted in the savings DOGE has claimed," Schumer wrote. "The public is left in the dark as to whether these savings are based on real, verifiable data."

"This lack of transparency only raises further questions about the accuracy of DOGE's reported savings and the effectiveness of its cost-saving measures," he added.

President Trump has tasked senior adviser Musk and his DOGE team with finding ways to drastically reduce federal spending by cutting waste, fraud and abuse, but Democrats and other critics have questioned the effort's effectiveness and the unintended consequences to crucial government services.

OPM didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.