The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has once again spotlighted a glaring example of government waste, this time revealing a staggering contract mishap within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In an astonishing find, it was uncovered that a contract was paying out an eye-watering $380,000 each month for what amounted to mere routine website maintenance.
Thankfully, this excessive contract was not renewed. Instead, a VA software engineer is now handling the same task in-house, dedicating just 10 hours a week to the job, a move set to save the VA over $4.5 million annually.
On Wednesday, DOGE took to X to commend the VA’s change in approach:
Good work by @DeptVetAffairs
VA was previously paying ~$380,000/month for minor website modifications. That contract has not been renewed and the same work is now being executed by 1 internal VA software engineer spending ~10 hours/week.
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE)
April 2, 2025
In a humorous yet striking breakdown, another user on X highlighted the outrageous costs:
Lmao… so previously we were paying $380K/month for 10 hours / week worth of work.
Or $380K per 40 hours of work.
Or $9,500 / hour.
Which is a $19 MILLION / year salary pro-rated on a 40-hour week.
For a single web designer.
— The Big Picture (@Big_Picture_89)
April 2, 2025
Back in March, it was reported that VA Secretary Doug Collins made substantial contract cuts, totaling $900 million, after scrutinizing only 2% of the VA’s contracts. Collins recently shared with Fox News the challenges of managing such a colossal organization:
.@SecVetAffairs: We’ve got some great folks who want to do good work… What has been surprising to me is the lack of control over an organization that is bigger than the active-duty Army… How can you manage a bureaucracy if you don’t even know where the people are?
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47)
April 2, 2025
Collins expressed his initial shock at the lack of basic organizational control, a situation he has been working to rectify since his tenure began. This revelation serves as a stark reminder of the necessary vigilance and reforms needed to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively.
