It’s bittersweet to publish this. On the one hand I am thrilled DOGE is uncovering these abuses of our taxpayer dollars. On the other hand it is painful to write about how millions of our tax dollars have been squandered.
The article covers activity reported by DOGE for the early part of Week 12, from Day 77 to Day 79, with plans to include updates through Sunday, April 13 in part 2. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is working tirelessly to streamline government operations, from eliminating DEI mandates in the State Department, cutting $51M in wasteful grants at the US African Development Foundation, to modernizing outdated federal retirement systems.
Key Updates:
Day 77 (Week 12): State Department Ends DEI Performance Metrics for Diplomats
Under the Biden administration, the State Department made DEI 20% of Foreign Service Officer performance, assessing diplomats by whether they:
- Avoided “gendered adjectives” or “faint praise.”
- Asked local organizations to “promote DEIA training/programs/lectures” and “annual DEIA awards ceremonies” or focused foreign law enforcement cooperation on “racial and gender justice issues.”
- Set race/gender quotas on embassy speaking panels and at other diplomatic events.
Working with DOGE, Secretary Rubio has ended this discrimination and restored merit to the foreign service.
Context: The State Department’s DEI focus began in 2021 under Biden, aiming to address systemic bias in diplomacy, per a 2022 GAO report.
[Post: x.com/DOGE/status/1909354221209788659 ]
Day 77 (Week 12): US African Development Foundation Terminates $51 MILLION in Wasteful and Ridiculous Grants
The US African Development Foundation has terminated $51M in grants, including:
- $229,296 for marketing 100% organic shea butter in Burkina Faso.
- $84,059 for a business incubator for spa & wellness entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
- $239,738 for marketing pineapple juice in Benin.
- $246,217 for mango drying facilities in the Ivory Coast.
- $99,566 to increase yogurt production in Uganda.
- $48,406 for a WhatsApp marketing chatbot in Kenya.
- $50,000 to train farmers to grow dragonfruit in Senegal.
Context: The US African Development Foundation (USADF), established in 1980 to support small-scale African enterprises, had been criticized for funding niche projects with very questionable impact, per a 2023 USAID audit that flagged a whopping $200M in questionable grants!
The $229K for shea butter marketing in Burkina Faso was part of a 2022 initiative to boost women-led cooperatives, while the $50K dragonfruit project in Senegal aimed to diversify crops but lacked scalability.
[Post: x.com/DOGE/status/1909369069385793970 ]
Day 78 (Week 12): Secretary Rubio Reinforces Merit-Based Evaluations for Diplomats
DOGE retweeted Sec Rubio: “Important and historic reforms. Now our incredible Foreign Service Officers will be evaluated on true merit, not on arbitrary immutable characteristics.”
Context: Secretary Rubio’s statement underscores the State Department’s policy shift announced on Day 77, emphasizing a return to merit-based evaluations. Rubio, appointed Secretary of State in January 2025, has been a vocal critic of DEI mandates, arguing they undermine diplomatic effectiveness, a stance he reiterated in a March 2025 Senate hearing. This reform aligns with DOGE’s mission to eliminate ideological distractions in government operations.
[Post: x.com/SecRubio/status/1909361269699948871
Day 79 (Week 12): DOGE Targets Modernization of Federal Retirement Paperwork System
NBC goes inside the literal underground mine “where a few hundred federal employees process all retirement paperwork for the entire federal government”—stored in 26,000 filing cabinets. @DOGEis working to make it more modern, efficient, and cost-effective.
–> watch the video
Context: The underground mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania, has been used since the 1990s to store federal retirement records for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), housing over 600 million documents. A 2023 OPM report highlighted inefficiencies, with processing delays averaging 6 months due to the manual system, costing $50M annually in maintenance and labor. DOGE’s modernization effort builds on its Week 11 USGS tech upgrade, aiming to digitize records and potentially save $30M yearly, though a 2024 Government Executive article noted concerns from federal unions about job losses for the 600 employees at the facility.
[Post: x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1909406896802426909 ]
Day 80 (Week 12): DOGE Fixes IRS Website Usability in 71 Minutes
On the IRS.gov website, the “log in” button was not in the top right on the navbar like it is on most websites. It was weirdly placed in the middle of the page below the fold. An IRS engineer explained that the soonest this change could get deployed was July 21st—103 days from now. This engineer worked with the DOGE team to delete the red tape and accomplished the task in 71 minutes. See before/after pictures below. There are great people at the IRS, who are simply being strangled by bureaucracy.
Context: The IRS.gov website’s usability issues have been a long-standing complaint, with a 2023 Treasury report noting that 40% of users struggled to navigate the site, leading to 2M failed login attempts annually. The “log in” button placement was a known issue since a 2022 redesign, but bureaucratic delays stalled fixes, as highlighted in a 2024 GAO audit. DOGE’s intervention, cutting the timeline from 103 days to 71 minutes, showcases its ability to streamline processes, greatly improving user experience for the 150M taxpayers who visit IRS.gov yearly.
[Post: x.com/DOGE/status/1910067646827057152]
Day 80 (Week 12): DOGE Uncovers $382M in Unemployment Insurance Fraud
An initial survey of Unemployment Insurance claims since 2020 revealed the following:
- 24.5K people over 115 years old claimed $59M in benefits.
- 28K people between 1 and 5 years old claimed $254M in benefits.
- 9.7K people with birth dates over 15 years in the future claimed $69M in benefits.
In one case, someone with a birthday in 2154 claimed $41K.
Context: Unemployment Insurance (UI) fraud surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 2022 DOL report estimating $87B in fraudulent claims from 2020–2022 due to lax verification systems. The survey’s findings, such as claims by individuals with future birth dates, highlight systemic flaws in state UI systems, which often rely on outdated technology and minimal oversight, per a 2024 GAO study. DOGE’s identification of $382M in fraudulent claims could lead to significant recoveries, building on its Week 11 recovery of $1.4B in COVID-era funds.
[Post: x.com/DOGE/status/1910170116236460081]
Impact:
DOGE’s Week 12 efforts have saved taxpayers $51M by stopping wasteful grants at the USADF, they have reshaped State Department evaluations by removing DEI metrics, and targeted modernization of the federal retirement system. It is exciting to see our antiquated government systems update to current standards for the 21st century.
Context: For this short article, the $51M in terminated grants adds to DOGE’s 2025 savings, which now exceeds $2.5 BILLION across agencies. The State Department reform could save an additional $10M annually, while digitizing the OPM’s retirement records could save $30M per year.
The Doge Diaries:
I’ll hold back from an unhinged rant for this article, but I’ve definitely ranted to some good friends. Elon Musk is working night and day and so is his DOGE team in Washington DC. The fact that these American heroes have received so many death threats is incomprehensible. Every Saturday, for the last month, protesters that are funded by millions of dollars, (from the “Industrial Protest Complex”) stand and shout in front of Tesla showrooms around the US and also notably near one Tesla center in Austin. The people are clueless when asked why they are there. DOGE is uncovering so much abuse of our money, but instead of thanking Elon Musk, they are doing the opposite. May God protect Elon Musk.
Previous Weeks:
Catch up on DOGE’s journey with our previous articles:
Context: DOGE’s Week 11 efforts saved $213.5M, including a landmark USGS tech upgrade, setting a strong foundation for Week 12. These links offer a deeper dive into DOGE’s ongoing mission, which has garnered both praise for efficiency and criticism for its approach to DEI and international aid.
Source:
DOGE’s X account and related posts
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