DOGE Loses Over $5 Million by Cutting Thousands of Unused Software Licenses

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has reported annual savings exceeding $5 million after uncovering significant waste in software spending across multiple federal agencies. The findings reveal that many government offices were routinely paying for thousands of software licenses—far more than they needed or used.

In a striking example, the IRS was found to be maintaining 3,000 licenses for a particular software package, despite only actively using 25. DOGE’s subsequent audit led to a massive reduction, cancelling 99% of these unnecessary licenses. This pattern of excessive software procurement, often resulting in idle or unused licenses, was not limited to the IRS alone.

“Agencies often have more software licenses than employees, and the licenses are often idle,” DOGE wrote in a public update, noting that continuous audits have been underway since February. Similar inefficiencies were exposed at other agencies: the Department of Labor reduced its surplus “project planning” software by cutting 68% of unused licenses, and the Securities and Exchange Commission eliminated 78% of its remote desktop programs after discovering only 22% were actually in use.

DOGE highlighted that these corrective actions have saved taxpayers over $5 million each year. The concern over excessive licensing first came to their attention when a review of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) found that, with a workforce of just 13,000, the agency was paying for 37,000 WinZip licenses. Other examples included 19,000 training software subscriptions and 7,500 project management software seats for a division with only 5,500 staffers.

The revelations come at a time of transition for DOGE, as Elon Musk steps down as the department’s public face. Despite this change, DOGE’s drive to eliminate waste continues at pace. Originally tasked with achieving $2 trillion in budget reductions, DOGE reports it has already delivered nearly $175 billion in savings through contract cancellations, fraud prevention, asset sales, and other cost-cutting measures.

These savings, according to DOGE, amount to approximately $1,087 returned per taxpayer. The department’s latest update projects even greater savings on the horizon, with expectations to surpass $1 trillion in total reductions within the coming years as anti-fraud and waste elimination initiatives expand.

Elon Musk commented on the progress during a recent Oval Office press briefing, stating, “The DOGE influence will only grow stronger… it’s like a way of life, permeating throughout the government. I’m confident that, over time, we’ll see $1 trillion of savings, and a reduction in $1 trillion of waste, fraud reduction.”