The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under Elon Musk's leadership, has successfully terminated millions of dollars in government contracts deemed wasteful by the current administration. A senior official confirmed that DOGE collaborated with various agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor, to cancel these contracts.
Among the canceled expenditures is a $36,000 contract for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) workshops at Homeland Security and a $1 million contract supporting the "Gender X Initiative" within the SSA, which involved public-facing applications with a "non-binary" field.
At the Department of Agriculture, a $1 million contract for a diversity communications campaign targeting agricultural professionals was eliminated. Additional contracts were canceled within the Forest Service, including a $375,000 contract for DEI and onboarding services and a $30,000 contract for a "Central America Gender Assessment Consultant."
Furthermore, a $230,000 contract for Brazil forest and gender consultant services within the Department of Agriculture was also terminated. The Department of Labor canceled a $4 million contract for DEI consultation services and training within its Jobs Corps program.
The Environmental Protection Agency rescinded a $100,000 contract for a two-year subscription to Gartner HR Leaders, intended for research and advisory services on employee experience, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and work-life integration.
These cuts, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars across various government departments, primarily target DEI initiatives. The administration argues these programs prioritize gender and race over merit, weakening the United States. DOGE claims to be saving the federal government approximately $1 billion daily by halting unnecessary hiring, eliminating DEI programs, and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations, aligning with presidential executive orders.
Conversely, many Congressional Democrats oppose DOGE, arguing that it represents a constitutional crisis and that the drastic cuts are harming essential government programs.
