For the past month and a half, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sought to eliminate unnecessary government spending.

A high-profile example of that came this week when DOGE cut off funds for an institution tied to former President Barack Obama's legacy. 

DOGE says library's lease cancellation will save taxpayers $740,457

According to Newsweek, DOGE announced that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has terminated Barack Obama Presidential Library's lease.

Located close to Chicago, the library's annual lease is valued at $1.48 million and DOGE estimates that its cancellation will save taxpayers $740,457.

However, Newsweek pointed out that the lease's termination will have little effect on the library, which contains art, books, textiles, and other historical items linked with Obama's presidency along with millions of documents.

This is because the institution was slated to close anyway and is expected to relocate to College Park, Maryland sometime this year.

Former law professor accuses DOGE of "fakery about unrealized savings"

Former University of Baltimore law professor Charles Tiefer is an expert on government contracting, and he dismissed suggestions that DOGE is benefiting the public.

"It's possible (DOGE) has some particular malice toward the real estate holding the archives for the last really popular two-term president," Tiefer was quoted as telling Fox News.

Musk's DOGE terminates lease at Obama Presidential Library site https://t.co/ynu1cMhCKP

— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 5, 2025

The former academic instead suggested that canceling the Obama library's lease is nothing more than an example of "fakery about unrealized savings, the same as in hundreds of other contracts."

DOGE has shut down a total of 748 federal offices as of Wednesday

Newsweek explained that canceling the Obama library's lease is part of a larger effort by DOGE to get rid of unneeded government offices.

The publication noted that as of Wednesday, DOGE claimed to have terminated leases of on least 748 federal offices, resulting in nearly half a billion dollars worth of savings.

This included closing 63 locations in California, 38 in Texas, 30, in Ohio, 29 in Florida, as well as 24 offices each in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Arizona.

For her part, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst cheered the plan in a social media post, saying, "Taxpayers were on the hook for more than $20 million over 20 years for a boarded up empty building. This is exactly why I have been calling on Washington to evaluate all federal real estate holdings and sell off the buildings that are unused."