The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on Friday that it has significantly expanded its government phone line elimination program, terminating nearly 3,000 devices across multiple agencies.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Saturday for comment.

Why It Matters

DOGE was established by President Donald Trump upon his return to office in collaboration with tech billionaire Elon Musk, with the stated goal of reducing federal government waste and inefficiency. Musk said he had “done enough” and later stepped down in May after serving less than five months as DOGE’s leader.

The task force claims to have saved $170 billion overall, with its “wall of receipts” accounting for approximately $71 billion in terminated contracts, grants, and leases. The phone line terminations serve as a testing ground for the task force’s approach to cost reduction across federal agencies. If successful, DOGE estimates similar cuts could save the federal government up to $100 million annually when applied across all departments.

However, the effectiveness and scope of these cuts remain subjects of debate among policymakers and government efficiency experts.

What To Know

DOGE announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday that the Small Business Administration (SBA) had deactivated 2,940 of 5,340 mobile phones (55 percent), eliminated 6,505 of 9,195 VOIP licenses (70 percent), and terminated 661 of 686 traditional landlines (96 percent), resulting in annual savings of approximately $2.84 million.

The phone line cuts began in May with a pilot program at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), where 198 “unused” lines were canceled in one hour, saving $100,000 annually, according to a post on X. DOGE extrapolated this data to estimate potential government-wide savings, though critics note that other agencies may not have the same percentage of unused lines.

A recent Harvard University/Harris Poll released in May found that cutting the size of government is broadly popular across the nation, with 63 percent of Americans supporting the effort. A majority, 55 percent, said they believe DOGE has been effective at doing so. However, 54 percent of Americans said they believe the task force has “gone about making cuts to government expenses” the “wrong way.”

The poll surveyed 1,903 registered voters on May 14 and May 15, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.

What People Are Saying

Elon Musk, former leader of DOGE, posted on X: “Government is wasting about $100 million per year on unused phone lines!”

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, posted on X in May: “We identified the same issue last year with our Arkansas Forward initiative. We are now saving state taxpayers $1 million by eliminating unused phone lines.”

Immigration attorney Curtis Morrison posted on X in May: “Government not answering phone, and DOGE solution is to cancel phone lines.”

What Happens Next

DOGE plans to continue its cost-cutting efforts across federal agencies in the coming months. However, the task force faces ongoing legal challenges regarding transparency.