The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) formally closed its operations on July 4 as investigating fraud government-wide becomes an integral part of the Trump administration’s agenda.
DOGE wrote on X on July 4:
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” While the formal mission of DOGE has come to an end, the mission to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse will continue. Good stewardship of taxpayer dollars and accountable government are not temporary initiatives. We hope those principles endure long into America’s next 250 years. It has been our greatest honor to serve the American people. Happy 4th!
DOGE, named after a famous internet meme of a Shiba Inu dog, was the brainchild of Elon Musk, who sought to rid the federal government of fraud, waste, and abuse as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures. Reports stated that as of October, DOGE saved taxpayers $214 billion through asset sales, lease and grant cancellations, fraud and improper payment deletion, savings on interest, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions.
Since Trump took office in January 2025, the number of federal employees has declined by 272,000 due to a combination of hiring freezes, early retirement offerings, and reductions in force, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Approximately 140,000 employees agreed to leave the federal government through the deferred resignation program, which allowed federal workers to receive full salary and benefits until they departed in September 2025.
While DOGE itself may be formally closing, the Trump administration has continued its work to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on July 6 about her department’s efforts to crack down on food stamp fraud in Los Angeles, California, and elsewhere:
Today, @USDA_FNA announced a major SNAP fraud crackdown in LA:
33 SNAP-authorized retailers in Los Angeles received formal charge letters after search warrants were executed. Violations include trafficking benefits for cash and selling prohibited items like alcohol, liquor, beer, hard seltzer, vapes, and more.
These retailers are facing disqualifications and significant fines, but this is just the tip of the iceberg in the fraud plaguing SNAP. Any other retailers or recipients participating in the abuse of taxpayer funds will also be held accountable. @USDA
and @WHFraudTF have surged resources to hotspots like LA — so look out NYC, Dallas, and Atlanta. More action is coming.
Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler has detailed how her department exposed $200 billion in suspected fraud through the coronavirus pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which was distributed by the Biden administration. She has recently told Just the News’s John Solomon how the SBA has already returned $22 billion to the Treasury and referred over half a million borrowers to the Justice Department.
The Justice Department in June carried out further enforcement actions on behalf of Vice President JD Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud relating to PPP fraud.
“As we continue to uncover millions of dollars in PPP and COVID-era fraud, it has become clear that there was a shocking lack of safeguards around these programs,” a Vance spokesperson told Breitbart News’s Nick Gilbertson at the time. “With the task force driving forward, the days of sending money into the hands of criminals are over.”
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