Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX faces lawsuits and criticism for its environmental impact on the Rio Grande Valley. Credit: Shutterstock / Frederic Legrand – COMEO

Billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk’s dismantling of the federal government has ripped away $375 million in contracts from San Antonio-based businesses and nonprofits, the Express-News reports.

The daily’s analysis of the latest data from Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, shows the controversial agency’s ongoing cuts have terminated $583 million in federal contracts across Texas — meaning the Alamo City has been in the crosshairs for two-thirds of the total.

In San Antonio, the DOGE cuts have included ending contracts that support border camps for migrants, help the Centers for Disease Control combat birth defects and consult with the Veterans Administration on how to avoid bacterial issues in its water supplies, according to the Express-News. Additionally, the agency has killed off an agreement the University of Texas at San Antonio had through the State Department to restore a historic site in Turkmenistan.

Although Musk has trumpeted his work as an effort to streamline government and save taxpayers, he’s provided little evidence to show that his disruptive layoffs and contract terminations have improved efficiency. Indeed, an Associated Press analysis of the government’s own data shows that nearly 40% federal pacts that have come under the Trump White House’s budget ax aren’t expected to save any money.

Further, a recent Reuters investigation uncovered 20 instances where DOGE cuts led to purchasing bottlenecks and higher costs along with decision-making paralysis, longer public wait times, scientific brain drain and higher-paid federal employees being forced to fill in menial jobs.

“DOGE is not a serious exercise,” said Jessica Riedl, a fellow at the fiscally conservative Manhattan Institute think tank told Reuters. She estimates DOGE has only saved $5 billion to date, and ultimately will end up costing more than it saves.

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This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...