Posted on 03/25/2025 6:11:02 AM PDT by Red Badger
The Department of Government Efficiency( DOGE) issued a new update in its ongoing audit of government credit cards. This has been a significant focus for the department, and DOGE has issued updates on its findings weekly on X. Their most recent post announced the cancellation of over 200,000 government credit cards.
According to their post, DOGE has continued its pilot program with 16 federal agencies to audit unused cards. They say that while hundreds of thousands of credit cards have been deactivated, millions more need to be deactivated.
For context, DOGE acts on the president’s authority, and Trump directly addressed this issue in one of his executive orders. The EO, titled IMPLEMENTING THE PRESIDENT’S “DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY” COST EFFICIENCY INITIATIVE, was released on February 26, 2025, and gave DOGE sweeping authority. Trump singled out credit cards as being a special area for attention.
“To the maximum extent permitted by law, all credit cards held by agency employees shall be treated as frozen for 30 days from the date of this order,” Trump ordered. However, the president carved out an exception “for any credit cards held by employees engaged in, or charges related to employees utilizing such credit cards for, disaster relief or natural disaster response benefits or operations or other critical services.”
Their recent post on March 24, 2025, said the audit was still ongoing. DOGE said, ” Weekly Credit Card Update! Pilot program with 16 agencies to audit unused/unneeded credit cards. After 5 weeks, ~298,000 cards have been deactivated. As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were ~4.6M active cards/accounts, so still more work to do.”
In the comments, users were supportive of the move. One comment noted that federal jobs had been treated as ‘free money’ before DOGE. The comment said, “Wow. Nonstop free spending money machine paid by yours truly… hard-working Americans. So nauseating to know the truth…but thankful it’s been uncovered once and for all. We will need very honest financiers here on out!!! Make America Honest…for the first time.”
Other users brainstormed solutions for this massive issue. A comment read, “Why are we not creating a new official Treasury credit card and cancelling all old credit cards? Ask each agency who should have a credit card, issue them a new Treasury card, and turn in the old one. Contacting the credit card companies to cancel is easier than sorting 5 million cards. Stop the bleeding as soon as possible!”
Another lengthy comment was shocked by the scope of the graft. The comment read, “It’s about time someone took action on this massive waste! 298,000 cards deactivated in 5 weeks is a great start, but let’s not kid ourselves, there’s still a mountain of work ahead. With 4.6 million active accounts, the real question is: Why did it take so long to get to this point?”
The same comment said this common sense audit should have been done years ago. It read, “This pilot program should’ve been implemented years ago. How many billions of dollars are being wasted on unused cards and accounts that aren’t benefiting anyone? The lack of urgency in tackling this problem is frustrating, especially when we’re constantly told about the need for fiscal responsibility.”
“to audit unused cards”
so if these are unused cards then i assume we are not saving any money by getting rid of them
HOORAY DOGE!
Thank you Donald J. Trump for DOGE hat tip.
I know someone who had a federal job who was given a federal Visa credit card for travel purposes, but potentially for other use.
The person only used their own cards for charges, because they got points. It was explained that either way, expense reports were still necessary to fill out, so why use the Federal card?
No doubt most charges where personal and those should be paid back or jail time
Annual fees and reduced risk of fraud.
4.6 million active accounts?! But aren’t there only about 3 million federal employees?
plus Military..................
After discovering fraud, the flow should have been:
1. Deactivate ALL cards,
2. Apply algorithms to all accounts,
3. Audit first those accounts flagged by algorithm,
4. Prosecute for effect,
5. Reissue cards on as-needed basis for need with 6-month reapplication/reissue term and strict conditions/limitations for use, subject to new oversight.
You assume wrong.
ronnie raygun wrote: “No doubt most charges where personal and those should be paid back or jail time...”
And you know that, how?
Only 1.3 million people in the military and most of them would not have cards.
Even so. Does every private in the military get a credit card? Every clerk at the SSA? Every park ranger?
Note to the bureaucracy...
Taxpayers are no longer your cash cows.
“I know someone who had a federal job who was given a federal Visa credit card for travel purposes, but potentially for other use.
The person only used their own cards for charges, because they got points. It was explained that either way, expense reports were still necessary to fill out, so why use the Federal card?”
Back when I was in the DOD, we were REQUIRED to use the federal credit card for travel expenses, especially lodging.
For meals we could opt not to. Airfare/common carrier stuff was through SATO so we didn’t charge that.
The way it was explained to us was that the Government negotiated for the “points/benefits” from the card so an individual was required to use it.
Perhaps some agencies are not as rigid in policing that policy.
Also, there was another credit card issued to one individual in each smaller division for purchase of office supplies. Those were monitored closely for him/her. Again, there are undoubtedly places where fraud and thievery from these cards is rampant.
For legitimately workers doing their jobs it will likely be an issue when printers run out of toner or paper supplies are exhausted etc. I guess it’s going to be a part of the process to determine which are valid and which are abused.
BTTT
Annual fees?
I doubt it, but I’m sure the government has thousands of cards that are ready at a moment’s notice to be given out in case of emergency.................
I’m sure that there is some ‘Milton Milqtoast’ government worker out there who has a ‘God complex’
who will say “ Yes, you are until WE say you’re not! “
We need to disabuse them of that idea.
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