What's Up Doge?

INSIGHTS FROM @DOGE ON X FOR THOSE FEELING FEARFUL AND UNCERTAIN

Welcome to Week 5 of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), covering February 17 to February 23, 2025, led by Elon Musk. This week’s updates, shared via @DOGE on X, spotlight efforts to boost transparency, cut costs, and streamline systems—moves that might catch your eye if you’re someone who cares about how government works for everyone. Posted on February 24, 2025, this recap walks you through each day’s actions, straight from the source, and offers a clear view of what’s unfolding. If you’ve been uneasy about rapid changes, we’re here to break it down and help you find your footing.

FEBRUARY 17, 2025 – DAY 29: TRACING FUNDS AND ADDRESSING MISSTEPS

What Happened: DOGE kicked off the week with a transparency boost and tackled a critique head-on.

• “The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury payment to a budget line item (standard financial process). In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible. As of Saturday, this is now a required field, increasing insight into where money is actually going. Thanks to @USTreasury for the great work. https://tfx.treasury.gov/taxonomy/term/10257“
• A video from “Kaine” stated: “Yesterday the DOGE guys post classified information on their website, and they had to realize, ‘Oh, we didn’t realize that agency was a classified agency.’ You shouldn’t let people rampage through offices that have classified information.” DOGE responded: “This is inaccurate. The referenced ‘classified information’ is actually public FedScope data, posted publicly by OPM (Office of Personnel Management) in March 2024. https://fedscope.opm.gov“

What It Means for You: Making the TAS field mandatory could shed light on how your tax dollars flow—think clearer budgets for schools or healthcare down the line. The mix-up with “classified” data shows DOGE’s learning curve, but their quick clarification with public info might ease worries about reckless moves. It’s a sign they’re aiming for openness, even if they stumble.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2025 – DAY 30: CREDIT CARDS AND CALLING OUT WASTE

What Happened: DOGE dug into government spending habits and echoed a Trump highlight.

• “The US government currently has ~4.6M active credit cards/accounts, which processed ~90M unique transactions for ~$40B of spend in FY24. DOGE is working w/ the agencies to simplify the program and reduce admin costs – we will report back in 1 week. https://smartpay.gsa.gov/about/statistics/“
• DOGE reposted a video of Trump (from RapidResponse47) with the caption: “President Trump reads aloud a list of some of the ridiculous projects taxpayers have been funding — like $10 million for circumcisions in Mozambique and $25 million for biodiversity in Colombia.” Video Link

How to See It: That’s a lot of credit cards—4.6 million! Simplifying this could cut overhead, potentially freeing up funds for things you value, like community programs. Trump’s list might sound wild, but it’s a peek at what DOGE’s targeting—projects they see as offbeat. You might not agree on every cut, but it’s a chance to weigh in on what matters.

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FEBRUARY 19, 2025 – DAY 31: SCHOOL FUNDS, MEDICARE, AND DATA CHECKS

What Happened: DOGE tackled school spending, cheered savings, and corrected a glitch.

• “Schools have spent nearly $200B of COVID-Relief funds with little oversight or impact on students. $393K to rent out a Major League Baseball stadium, $86K in Caesars Palace hotel rooms, $60k in swimming pool passes, and even an ice cream truck. All of this money was drawn with zero documentation. There is $4B left and the new @usedgov is setting a simple new rule – all grantees must provide receipts for every purchase BEFORE funding is released. Sources: http://ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-updates-guidance-covid-19-funding https://defendinged.org/investigations/wasteful-esser-expenditures/“
• “Incredible job by @USTreasury in saving the American taxpayers $1.9 billion.” (Quoting: “Alongside @DOGE, we have been working to identify waste, fraud & abuse. In connection to the effort, the IRS rescinded a previously planned $1.9 Billion contract & has committed itself to be focused & intentional with taxpayer dollars.” Thread Link)
• “The Department of Education has terminated 18 grants for $226mm to Comprehensive Centers, which provided consulting services with a large focus on DEI. One Center application stated: ‘Embedding DEI reviews across all deliverables and materials ensures it is not a one-off task specific activity.’ A 2019 study (which itself cost $8mm) was ‘not able to measure the causal impact of the centers’ work’. Examples of DEI content from a center:” Video Link
• Responding to a claim (“DOGE claimed $8 billion in savings… It was actually $8 million”): “This is inaccurate. In September 2022, the agency contracting officer mistakenly wrote $8B instead of $8M when logging in the FPDS database. DOGE discovered this error in January 2025, and the agency updated FPDS accordingly. DOGE has always used the correct $8M in its calculations.” Followed by: “Note that the DOGE website pulls from FPDS. If there is an error in FPDS, there can temporarily be a display error on the DOGE website until FPDS and the website link are updated. This appears to be rare, but we will strive to point it out when it occurs.”
• “Great job by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in saving taxpayers $360M by streamlining its Affordable Care Act Navigator program. Last year, CMS spent $98M to enroll 92,000 individuals in federally-facilitated health exchanges at a cost of $1,061 per enrollment. 12 of the 56 navigator programs had an average cost of over $3,000 per enrollment. In 2019, CMS’s navigator program spent just $10M and achieved the same percentage of exchange enrollment. This will allow the program to maintain the same enrollment percentage with less spending, making it more efficient. https://cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announcement-federal-navigator-program-funding”

Why It’s Worth Watching: The school fund rule might mean tighter accountability—less waste on ice cream trucks, more focus on classrooms. CMS saving $360M on healthcare enrollment without cutting coverage could be a win for efficiency you’d appreciate. The $226M grant cut might shift education priorities, but DOGE’s quick fix on the $8B error shows they’re serious about getting numbers right, which could build trust over time.

FEBRUARY 20, 2025 – DAY 32: USDA STEPS UP

What Happened: DOGE praised a USDA cut with a team effort on display.

• “Great work @SecRollins @USDA” (Quoting: “Live update from our @DOGE_USDA team’s meeting tonight 👇 Look what we just found (and cancelled!): $324,671 grant for ‘Increasing DEIA Programming for Integrated Pest Management’ … you can’t make this up🤦🏻‍♀️ cc: Elon Musk @DOGE”

What’s at Play Here: A $324K grant for pest management tied to DEIA might sound niche, but its cancellation frees up a small chunk of cash. The team photo shows folks working hard behind the scenes—maybe a sign that practical cuts are being weighed carefully, not just slashed blindly.

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FEBRUARY 21, 2025 – DAY 33: CONTRACTS AND REAL ESTATE MOVES

What Happened: DOGE kept trimming contracts and sold off a property.

• “Today’s contract update: 95 cancellations with savings of ~$115M (ceiling value of ~$235M), including two USDA contracts: – $265k for a ‘food and nutrition service 3 day leadership retreat in Atlanta’ – $30K for ‘Malaysia study tour facilitation services’”
• “The @USGSA sold the old Webster School building in DC for $4,138,000. The building was acquired via condemnation in 2003, remained empty and boarded up ever since, and accrued $24M of deferred maintenance and liabilities.” (Quoting a Dept of Defense video: “A Message From @SecDef To The American Warfighter, And The American Tax Payer” with DOGE noting: “Great transparency from @SecDef Appreciate the DOGE discussion at 2:15”)

How This Could Unfold: Cutting retreats and study tours might tighten belts without hitting essentials—those savings could go elsewhere. Selling a $24M liability for $4M cleans up a mess, and the Defense video nod suggests DOGE’s work is getting broader buy-in, which might mean more stability in these shifts.

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FEBRUARY 22, 2025 – DAY 34: EPA SAVINGS ROLL IN

What Happened: DOGE cheered another EPA win.

• “Good work by @epaleezeldin @EPA” (Quoting Lee Zeldin: “UPDATE: I just cancelled another 21 wasteful DEI and Environmental Justice grants, with the help of our amazing @DOGE team, racking up $67M more in savings!”)

Where You Fit In: $67M saved on DEI and environmental grants might tweak priorities, but it’s part of a pattern—DOGE’s teaming up across agencies to find excess. You can chime in on what you’d rather see funded instead.

FEBRUARY 23, 2025 – DAY 35: LISTENING TO YOU

What Happened: DOGE thanked followers for tips driving real savings.

• “Thanks to everyone for DM’ing ideas to the DOGE Affiliate accounts. Already having a large impact as seen by the @DOGE_GSA post below. Please keep sending!” (Quoting: “📢PSA📢: your tips make a real difference! Shout out to a follower who tipped us off on a wasteful building services contract. As a result, today, we terminated the contract for convenience and have recorded savings of ~$40mm! Keep ‘em coming, fam! 😤✂️💰”)

A Reason to Stay Engaged: A $40M save from a reader tip? That’s you making a dent! DOGE’s open ear could mean your voice shapes what’s next—whether it’s saving cash or steering it to causes you back.

REMINDER FROM WEEK 4: SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK-IN

What Happened Last Week (Feb 16): A quick nod to a Week 4 thread—DOGE’s still digging into a quirky find.

• “Looking into this.” (Quoting Elon Musk: “According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE! Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.”)

Why It’s Worth Watching: DOGE hasn’t forgotten Elon’s vampire quip from last week—it’s a light-hearted hint they’re checking Social Security for oddities, which could tighten up a system you might rely on someday.

FINDING YOUR FOOTING—WHAT YOU CAN DO

Week 5 brought big moves—$1.9B from Treasury, $360M from CMS, $226M from Education grants, and more, all while opening the books with TAS codes and the DOGE website. If you’re wondering how this fits with what you care about—like fair schools or healthcare—here’s how to stay in the loop:

• Stay Informed: Peek at @DOGE on X or doge.gov for the raw scoop.
• Connect: Chat with friends or online groups to sort through it together.
• Write Reps: Tell your officials what you want to see prioritized—your words count.
• Check Back: “DOGE Diaries” drops every Monday with no-nonsense updates.

A BIT OF REASSURANCE

From tracking $4.7 trillion to nixing a $40M contract thanks to a tip, Week 5 shows DOGE’s digging deep and listening. Change can feel big, but it’s not all upheaval—some of it’s about making things work better, like cheaper healthcare enrollment or selling off deadweight buildings. You’ve got a front-row seat and a voice in this. Stick with us—we’re walking through it together.

DOGE Diaries: Your Weekly Guide to Government Efficiency Updates

All 15 provided @DOGE X posts from February 17-23, 2025, are quoted verbatim.