The Department of Government Efficiency formally closed its operations on July 4 — but the war on government waste is just getting started.
DOGE, Elon Musk’s brainchild designed to eliminate fraud and waste from the federal government, saved taxpayers $214 billion through asset sales, grant cancellations, fraud deletion, and workforce reductions. The initiative cut 272,000 federal employees since Trump took office in January 2025.
“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.”
DOGE posted the message on X as it formally wound down operations on Independence Day. But the Trump administration isn’t backing off — it’s doubling down.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a major food stamp fraud crackdown in Los Angeles on July 6. USDA investigators executed search warrants on 33 SNAP-authorized retailers caught trafficking benefits for cash and selling prohibited items including alcohol and vapes.
“These retailers are facing disqualifications and significant fines, but this is just the tip of the iceberg in the fraud plaguing SNAP,” Rollins posted. “Look out NYC, Dallas, and Atlanta. More action is coming.”
Small Business Administration chief Kelly Loeffler has exposed $200 billion in suspected fraud from the Biden-era Paycheck Protection Program. The SBA has already clawed back $22 billion to the Treasury and referred over half a million borrowers to the Justice Department for prosecution.
Vice President JD Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud carried out further enforcement actions in June targeting PPP criminals.
“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. With the task force driving forward, the days of sending money into the hands of criminals are over.”
Approximately 140,000 federal employees agreed to leave through the deferred resignation program, which allowed workers to receive full salary and benefits until they departed in September 2025. Hiring freezes, early retirement offerings, and reductions in force combined to shrink the federal workforce by hundreds of thousands.
The formal DOGE mission may have ended — but Trump’s crackdown on fraud is now baked into every corner of the administration.
“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…
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) July 4, 2026
🚨SNAP FRAUD UPDATE 🚨
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…— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) July 6, 2026
