Dear john,
Despite its claims to have saved Americans $160 billion, Elon Musk's DOGE is estimated to have cost taxpayers $135 billion according to an analysis from the nonpartisan, nonprofit group Partnership for Public Service (PSP).
PSP's estimate is based on the $270 billion in annual compensation costs for the federal workforce, calculating the impact of DOGE's actions, from paid leave to productivity hits. The $135 billion cost to taxpayers doesn't include the expense of defending multiple lawsuits challenging DOGE's actions, nor the impact of estimated lost tax collections due to staff cuts at the IRS.
Even worse, we're already seeing the short-term and long-term consequences of DOGE's policies and actions.
The IRS, which is planning on cutting roughly 40% of its workforce thanks to DOGE, could forego $323 billion in tax revenue over the next decade due to lower tax compliance and a decline in audits, according to an estimate from the Yale Budget Lab.
Another analysis by researchers at institutions including the University of Maryland and University of Pennsylvania estimates that cuts to health research will result in a $16 billion annual economic loss, with 68,000 jobs lost.
