DOGE claims millions saved in Georgia with terminated leases. Where are the buildings?
More than $17 million of that is on 23 buildings DOGE claims to have terminated in Georgia, the largest being the 120,000 square foot CDC building in Atlanta.
DOGE's claims are posted to its 'Wall of Receipts' on its government website, where it shows total value of the expenditures and savings created from selling off the property.
The 'Wall of Receipts' also lists more than 5,500 canceled federal contracts and grants, but the site is vague in displaying which contracts and grants are being terminated. Many of the grants are listed as Department of Education, Department of State, the EPA and USAID, with DOGE claiming $10 billion in savings from the cancellations.
Multiple fact checks of the agency's previous cost savings statements have shown inflated estimates that fall short upon review.
Here's what we know so far about government cuts and layoffs and which Georgia offices have reportedly been shuttered due to DOGE decisions.
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The Centers for Disease Control is the hardest hit by the federal cuts, with $2,473,060 claimed to be saved by terminating the lease on the 119,812 square-foot building.
Forest Services in Atlanta is the other million-dollar savings, according to DOGE, as it loses a 49,617-foot building that is listed as saving $1,399,770.
Several concerning cuts involve the Bureau of Prisons, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, National Resources Conservation and the Government Accountability Office.
The Government Accountability Office is a non-partisan watchdog group that monitors the government for the safety and freedom of Americans.
"GAO examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and provides Congress and federal agencies with objective, non-partisan, fact-based information to help the government save money and work more efficiently," its website notes.
The Bureau of Prisons holds accountable that prisons are run and operated in a professional manner to provide humane care for inmates.
"We protect public safety by ensuring that federal offenders serve their sentences of imprisonment in facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure, and provide reentry programming to ensure their successful return to the community," claims the Bureau of Prisons website.
The Energy Regulatory Commission monitors interstate transmission of electricity and natural gas while the NRC is key to protecting air quality, safe water, forests, soil, wildlife and it provides scientific research for agriculture.
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Government Agency
Location
Square Feet
Claimed Savings
CDC
Atlanta
119,812
$2,473,060
FDA
Atlanta
17,000
$446,286
FTC
Atlanta
8,360
$223,483
Allowance for President Carter*
Atlanta
7,682
$128,233
Social Security Admin. (SCA)
Columbus
1,632
$51,023
SCA
Gainesville
17,844
$506,527
SCA
Vidalia
10,133
$228,757
SCA
Brunswick
9,856
$215,383
SCA
Thomasville
11,150
$289,139
Forest Service
Atlanta
49,617
$1,399,770
IRS National
Savannah
15,492
$427,511
Fish & Wildlife
Atlanta
35,330
$738,357
Small Business Admin.
Atlanta
27,526
$634,642
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Duluth
8,574
$184,341
IRS National
Macon
14,039
$241,967
OSHA
Savannah
4,606
$97,739
Geological Survey
Norcross
38,395
$559,009
National Resources Conservation
Griffin
3,772
$30,810
Employment Standards Administration
Savannah
1,848
$39,214
Government Accountability office
Atlanta
22,296
$487,199
Office of the Secretary
Atlanta
3,354
$77,081
Bureau of Prisons
Atlanta
34,146
$863,726
Office of the Secretary
Atlanta
25,422
$665,692
TOTAL
$17,322,567
Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office that rebranded the U.S. Digital Service, an arm of the executive branch, into the Department of Government Efficiency. Officially, it's the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization.
Musk was later made a "special government employee."
Multiple Democratic state attorneys general sued, challenging Musk's authority and arguing his power to access data and make cuts to government funds violates the Constitution. The Appointments Clause says Congress must approve executive branch officers.
Trump had previously referred to Musk as the leader of DOGE, but a key change to DOGE leadership was announced after a filing in the suit said the world's richest man isn't in charge or an employee of the department, instead serving as a senior advisor to the president.
The judge declined to keep Musk from accessing sensitive records.
Recently, Amy Gleason was named the acting DOGE administrator.
As of Monday, March 3, the Wall of Receipts listed $105 billion in total savings that translates to $652.17 per taxpayer. Full fact checking of the March 2 update is not yet complete.
So far, DOGE has announced massive cuts that haven't held up under review. Some later get rolled back. It's drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle.
'DOGE has an unprecedented opportunity to cut waste and bloat,' Nat Malkus, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, wrote in a blog post. 'However, the sloppy work shown so far should give pause to even its most sympathetic defenders.'
In mid-February, the agency touted $55 billion in savings to taxpayers. The largest error in accounting on the "Wall of Receipts" inflated $8 million to $8 billion. But canceled contracts, real estate leases and grants actually accounted for $16.5 billion.
Musk also said they ended 89 research contracts at the Education Department costing $881 million. Later, DOGE adjusted that to $489 million. Analysis from New America, a left-leaning think tank, analysis determined the total was closer to $278 million.
Ryne Dennis is the Deep South Connect Team Editor for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X @RyneDennis and email at rdennis@onlineathens.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: How much does DOGE claim to have saved in terminated leases in GA?
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