U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, in a statement posted February 13 on the agency’s website, announced the launch of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force charged with reviewing how HUD is spending American taxpayer dollars.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are no longer in a business-as-usual posture and the DOGE task force will play a critical role in helping to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and ultimately better serve the American people. We have already identified over $260 million in savings and we have more to accomplish,” said Turner.

DOGE was created by President Donald Trump by executive order. In a February 13 post on X, Turner said that by working with DOGE, HUD has already found $260 million in savings from contracts alone from fraud, waste and abuse and by streamlining processes and “we’ll soon find more.”

According to a HUD email, the task force will be composed of HUD employees who will examine how to best maximize the agency’s budget and ensure all programs, processes and personnel are working together to advance the purpose of the department. The task force will meet regularly and report its findings and suggestions to Secretary Turner, the email says.

“HUD will be detailed and deliberate about every dollar spent to serve rural, tribal and urban communities,” Turner is quoted in the email.

NPR reported on February 11 that DOGE had asked HUD employees “to justify hundreds of contracts at the agency” by noting on a spreadsheet whether hundreds of contracts are critical, if they have a DEI component, and if the contractor was competent. The form was to be filled out by staff by close of business February 11.

Read more on issues related to President Trump’s executive orders in our EO Compliance Federal Funding Freeze serial post.