DOGE Blocks 470,000 Credit Cards Issued to U.S. Government Entities Following Audit Findings

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), overseen by Elon Musk, announced the deactivation of 470,000 credit cards that were issued to various U.S. government entities as a result of an extensive audit. This information was reported by TASS.

"The audit program targeting unused and unnecessary credit cards has been expanded to cover 30 government agencies. After seven weeks, nearly 470,000 cards have been deactivated," stated DOGE on its social media platform. At the beginning of the audit, it was reported that approximately 4.6 million active cards were in circulation.

Elon Musk, commenting on DOGE’s findings, emphasized that the number of credit cards issued to government agencies for employee-related expenses "is twice the total number of government employees." He described such a ratio as "insanity."

At the end of February, it was reported that DOGE had established spending limits on government credit cards for several federal agencies, with plans to extend these restrictions to all federal bodies. This decision stemmed from concerns that government-issued credit cards might be misused by officials, with instances of fraud suspected. Sources from the affected agencies indicated that they viewed these suspicions as unfounded, noting that all expenditures on credit cards are subject to reporting and, in many cases, require managerial approval for use.

Employees from the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Aviation Administration have expressed concerns that their inability to promptly execute government procurements may jeopardize a number of critical projects. Some officials have opted to personally cover certain expenses in order to sustain essential functions within their agencies.