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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced in X that it had canceled more than 200,000 credit cards associated with 16 government agencies after a review showed they were not being used or were not needed.
On January 20, an executive order created the DOGE, an advisory committee chaired by Elon Musk, the richest man in the world. This initiative was proposed by Donald Trump with the aim of simplifying the federal bureaucracy and eliminating any inefficiency or waste in its operation.
The office in charge of cutting costs has proposed the elimination of more than 200,000 positions in the federal government, while about 75,000 employees have chosen to accept the voluntary exit offer presented by the Trump istration.
These decisions have caused concern and discontent among Democrats and the electorate, raising questions about the fate of several federal agencies with reduced staff.
A very eventful start for DOGE
Last week, DOGE announced on X that it had deactivated about 145,000 government credit cards after conducting a two-week audit of 16 federal agencies.
Elon Musk shared the post and commented: "There are still almost twice as many credit/purchase cards as there are government employees, and the limits are as high as $10,000. The spending is excessive and suspicious!"
Monday's update reported that the total number of cards deactivated by the DOGE has been increased by several thousand.
The federal government, through the DOGE agency, has not detailed how much would be saved by eliminating certain credit cards used by federal employees, which has raised questions and debates on X.
In addition, the DOGE has reduced the limits on these cards to just $1 for many workers, causing frustration as they consider them essential to purchasing supplies and services necessary for their work. According to some sources, workers cannot use their personal cards for these expenses, further complicating their work.
The suspension of federal credit cards could complicate the daily operations of government agencies, with the benefits still uncertain, according to experts.
Moreover, in the context of the massive layoffs promoted by the DOGE, recent data indicate that about 40% of the terminated contracts will not result in savings for the government.