Elon Musk’s latest projection of savings linked to his much-touted DOGE initiative has fallen drastically short of his earlier claims. After repeatedly suggesting that the program would generate between one and two trillion dollars in cost reductions, Musk now says he anticipates only about $150 billion in savings by the 2026 fiscal year.

Reuters correspondent Nandita Bose revealed that Musk informed President Donald Trump’s cabinet of his new estimate.

“Some people asked me, ‘how do you find waste and fraud in the government?’ I’m like, well, go in any direction,” Musk said as he explains to Trump the report.

DOGE, initially introduced as a groundbreaking effort to curb waste and inefficiency, attracted significant attention thanks to Musk’s repeated public commitments to drive down costs. However, critics argue that the project’s underwhelming revision—now a fraction of what was once promised—exposes potential gaps in planning and execution.

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