After killing a slew of multimillion dollar contracts across Texas, the federal budget-cutting agency formerly led by billionaire Elon Musk is going after deals worth much less – including a $15,289 contract for a veteran’s prosthetic leg.
Other recent cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency included a part for a Coast Guard cutter worth $28,000, a used trailer for the agriculture department worth $40,000 and a $1,681 deal to provide fire specialist consulting services in Bolivia.
Through September, DOGE estimates it’s slashed $941.4 million in deals with Texas businesses. Because many of the contracts it canceled were in progress or already complete, though, the actual amount saved is only about $342.5 million.
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The DOGE ax is continuing to fall more heavily on San Antonio than many other cities. The total of contracts cut with San Antonio businesses now total $413.1 million, about 43% of the statewide total. The actual savings are about $66 million.
Part of the Trump administration’s effort to limit spending and waste, DOGE claims it has saved $207 billion nationwide, or about $1,280 per taxpayer. That and more will be wiped out by Trump’s budget bill, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said would balloon the deficit by $2.4 trillion in the next decade.
That’s among the reasons Musk derided the bill as a “disgusting abomination,” igniting a public feud with President Donald Trump who, in turn, threatened to cut federal contracts worth billions with Musk-led companies including Texas-based SpaceX and Tesla Inc. Musk left his post in the Trump administration in May but DOGE has continued its work.
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Since June, San Antonio businesses lost four deals worth a combined $920,577 for actual savings of $407,711. Across the state, DOGE cut another 224 contracts worth an estimated $77.7 million for $27.9 million in actual savings.
So far, the department has killed 565 contracts across the state, including 57 in the San Antonio area.
Consultancies ended
Of the 228 contracts ended since June, most targeted Department of Agriculture work around the world, including 201 deals with an El Paso-based services company, Management & Engineering Technologies International Inc.
The firm provides consultants to various countries on matters including forestry, natural resources, wildfire prevention, law enforcement, civil military relations and humanitarian operations.
The average value of the contracts it lost was $132,000. Even though DOGE killed company deals worth $26.5 million, taxpayers will see no savings because the work was already done.
The most valuable deal the El Paso company lost was a $2.8 million contract to provide “Middle East Regional Environmental Program Support Services.” One of its contracts was the smallest cut in Texas since June: a $1,681 deal to provide “Bolivia fire specialist consulting services.”
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Most of the the company’s work appears to be related to helping countries in South America, Asia and Africa as they deal with the effects of climate change.
The most expensive contract with a Texas-based company that DOGE has axed since June was a $24.1 million deal between the Department of Homeland Security and ABSG Consulting Inc. of Spring. It was for a subject matter expert to help with “chemical security.” DOGE claims the cut will save $20.5 million.
Minor San Antonio impact
After bearing the largest Texas percentage of DOGE’s cuts through June, the cuts since then have had less impact on San Antonio.
Of the four contracts cut in the third quarter, Eagle Integrated Services LLC’s $614,234 deal to provide administrative support to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was the most valuable. DOGE estimates ending that contract will save $193,241.
The other deals ended included Amstar Inc.’s $32,799 contract to replace carpet in U.S. courts, Laredo Technical Services Inc.’s $228,858 contract to provide administrative support to the Department of Health and Human Services, and Design Build Consortium LLC’s $44,686 contract with Veterans Affairs to replace batteries for an uninterruptable power supply.
Among the cuts that stick out in the past few months is the $15,289 deal with the Veterans Administration for a veteran’s replacement leg prosthesis.
The contract with Austin-based prosthetic maker Otto Bock Patient Care LLC. was terminated at the end of August. The VA said Thursday that the veteran received a prosthesis earlier this year, though, so it was unclear why DOGE claimed the savings.
In Midland, Benjamin Miller lost a $28,000 deal to deliver a new fuel hose and reel system for the Coast Guard Cutter Stratton.
And in Sugar Land, Vertragov Inc. will miss out on its $40,000 contract to provide a used trailer to the USDA.
The last three months of DOGE work produced the smallest amount savings for the agency since it began earlier this year.
