Hegseth says Defense Dept eliminates hundreds of millions in 'wasteful' spending after DOGE findings

Fox News - Mar 20th, 2025
Open on Fox News

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced significant budget cuts within the Department of Defense, terminating over $580 million in contracts deemed wasteful. These cuts include various initiatives, such as an HR software project vastly over budget and grants aligned with the Obama-Biden Green agenda. The decision reflects a renewed focus on transparency and efficiency, aligning with President Trump's priorities and ensuring taxpayer dollars are allocated effectively. Hegseth's actions are part of a broader effort to eliminate wasteful spending, with over $800 million cut in recent weeks.

The implications of this move are substantial, as it signals a shift in the DoD's fiscal management and priorities under the Trump administration. Partnering with DOGE, the DoD aims to enhance operational efficiency, focusing on essential defense needs rather than extraneous expenditures. This effort also highlights the political dimension, with Hegseth's alignment with Musk's productivity ethos and a broader Republican agenda, garnering support from figures like Rep. Nancy Mace. The significant cuts and policy shifts could reshape defense contracting and budget management practices, with potential impacts on civilian jobs and industry partnerships.

Story submitted by Fairstory

RATING

5.4
Moderately Fair
Read with skepticism

The story provides an informative overview of the Department of Defense's efforts to cut wasteful spending, highlighting specific examples and figures. While it is timely and addresses a topic of public interest, the article would benefit from greater accuracy verification, balance, and transparency. The lack of diverse perspectives and independent verification of claims limits its impact and engagement potential. Overall, the story is clear and accessible but could be strengthened by providing more context and exploring the broader implications of the actions taken.

RATING DETAILS

6
Accuracy

The story presents several factual claims about the cancellation of over $580 million in Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and grants. It accurately reports on the specifics of certain projects, such as the HR software project that went significantly over budget. However, the story could benefit from additional verification of the total savings claimed and the methodology used by DOGE to identify wasteful spending. The report mentions that 239 contracts with a ceiling value of $1.7 billion were terminated, which aligns with the figures provided. Yet, the lack of detailed evidence or external verification for the exact amounts and specific contracts raises questions about the story's precision.

5
Balance

The article predominantly presents the perspective of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the efforts of DOGE, with little to no representation of opposing viewpoints or responses from those affected by the contract cancellations. It lacks input from stakeholders such as the contractors involved or defense analysts who might provide a counterbalance to the narrative of wasteful spending. The absence of Democratic Party responses or critiques, despite mentioning anti-Doge messaging, suggests potential bias or omission of significant perspectives.

7
Clarity

The article is generally clear in its presentation of information, with a straightforward narrative about the actions taken by the DoD to reduce wasteful spending. However, the inclusion of multiple figures and percentages without detailed explanations or context may confuse some readers. The language is neutral, but the logical flow could be improved by organizing the information more coherently and providing clearer connections between the different points discussed.

5
Source quality

The primary sources cited in the article include statements from Pete Hegseth and DOGE announcements. While these are authoritative figures within the context of the story, the lack of independent verification or third-party analysis diminishes the overall source quality. The article does not cite any external experts or provide corroborating evidence from other credible news outlets, which would strengthen the reliability of the claims made.

4
Transparency

The article provides limited transparency regarding the methodology used to determine which contracts were deemed wasteful. It does not disclose how the $580 million figure was calculated or the criteria for identifying wasteful spending. Additionally, the potential conflict of interest with DOGE's involvement, considering its connection to Elon Musk, is not explored, leaving readers without a full understanding of the underlying factors influencing the decisions.

Sources

  1. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-says-defense-dept-eliminates-hundreds-millions-wasteful-spending-doge-findings
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDQQwV3Gbng
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od91Wi0Fbpo
  4. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doge-says-dug-another-1-9-billion-taxpayer-money-misplaced-biden-admin
  5. https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Videos/videoid/955955/