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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on Monday that millions of Social Security records have been updated.
In a post on X, DOGE said the Social Security Administration has been executing a "major cleanup" of records for the past three weeks.
"Approximately 7 million numberholders, all listed age 120+, have now been marked as deceased. Another ~5 million to go," the post said.
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Last week, an update from DOGE said that 3.2 million Social Security number holders listed as aged over 120 had been marked as deceased.
Judge Blocks DOGE From Accessing Data
On Monday, a federal judge blocked DOGE from accessing sensitive personal data at the Department of Education, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of labor unions. They allege the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it gave DOGE access to systems with personal information about millions of Americans without their consent, The Associated Press reported. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order in the case.
"No matter how important or urgent the President's DOGE agenda may be, federal agencies must execute it in accordance with the law," Boardman wrote on Monday. "That likely did not happen in this case."
How Many Jobs Has DOGE Cut So Far?
Tens of thousands of job losses have been announced across numerous federal agencies.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research office and could fire more than 1,000 scientists and other employees, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
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Earlier in March, it was reported that the Internal Revenue Service plans to lose about 18,000 employees, or about 20 percent of its workforce. Meanwhile, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Congress that 10,000 workers at the United States Postal Service would be cut within a month.
The Department of Education has announced plans to lay off more than 1,300 employees, while the Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting 80,000 jobs, according to an internal memo obtained by the AP this month.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is reportedly planning to cut its civilian workforce by about 50,000 to 60,000 people.
At least 24,000 probationary workers have been terminated since Trump took office, according to a lawsuit filed by nearly 20 states alleging the mass firings are illegal. Earlier in March, two federal judges ordered 19 federal agencies to reinstate probationary workers who were fired.
Meanwhile, about 75,000 federal workers accepted the offer to quit in return for receiving pay and benefits until September 30.
How Much Spending Has DOGE Cut So Far?
DOGE has said its efforts have saved the federal government an estimated $115 billion as of March 11—just a tiny fraction of Musk's $1 trillion cost-cutting goal.
DOGE says the receipts provided on its website—showing contract, grant, and lease cancellations—represent about 30 percent of total savings, meaning the top-line figure is not yet verifiable.
According to the Musk Watch DOGE Tracker designed by data analyst Brian Banks, the verifiable savings, as of March 11, were about $8.6 billion.
Is DOGE a Government Agency?
Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office on January 20, officially creating DOGE to modernize "federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity."
Despite its name, it is not a government agency created by an act of Congress but a task force charged with targeting waste and fraud in the federal government.
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