DOGE Claims Federal Government Is Paying For 11,020 Adobe Acrobat Licenses, And Not One User

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has revealed that the federal government has been paying for 11,020 Adobe Acrobat licenses that have never been used, according to an audit of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The report also found other cases of excessive spending on software, including 35,855 ServiceNow licenses, of which only 84 were in use, and 10,000 Java licenses, with just 400 active users. DOGE, led by Elon Musk, has vowed to fix these inefficiencies and reduce unnecessary spending.

Musk commented on the findings, stating that “vast numbers of unused software licenses” exist throughout the government, resulting in taxpayer money being wasted. He cited similar issues at other agencies, such as the General Services Administration (GSA), which had 37,000 WinZip licenses for 13,000 employees, and multiple redundant software systems running simultaneously. In response, GSA officials announced immediate cost-cutting measures, eliminating 114,163 unused software licenses and reducing annual IT spending by $9.6 million.

The DOGE initiative is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to streamline government operations and eliminate wasteful expenditures. Recent audits have exposed millions of dollars in unnecessary spending across various agencies, prompting a push for accountability and efficiency. Government officials have pledged to continue reviewing contracts and IT resources to ensure responsible use of taxpayer funds.

As more inefficiencies are uncovered, DOGE’s crackdown on waste is expected to lead to further cost reductions. The revelations have sparked debate over the need for stricter oversight of government spending, with some critics questioning how such widespread mismanagement went unnoticed for so long.