DOGE Deactivates Over Half A Million Government Credit Cards In Federal Spending Clampdown

In a move to curb federal spending, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has deactivated over 523,000 government credit cards.

What Happened: DOGE announced the deactivation of the credit cards on X, and indicated plans to expand the program to more agencies. “We are now expanding the program to more agencies, as there is much more work to do,” DOGE stated.

DOGE’s action is part of a wider crackdown on government expenditure. The decision, a result of a 13-week audit, led to the cancellation of credit cards across multiple federal agencies, including NASA, the General Services Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, as well as the departments of the Treasury, Education, Interior, Commerce, Agriculture and State.

DOGE stated that it is extending the program to more agencies.

Michael Ryan, the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com had previously told Newsweek, “These aren’t your typical consumer credit cards. We’re looking at lifelines for federal agencies—cards that keep the lights on, quite literally.”

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Why It Matters: The initiative began on February 18 when DOGE announced plans to collaborate with federal agencies to streamline credit card accounts and cut administrative costs.

According to DOGE estimates, the federal government held around 4.6 million credit cards and processed 90 million unique transactions in the 2024 fiscal year. Shortly after, President Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing a 30-day freeze on agency employee credit cards.

In March, Elon Musk's push for government cost-cutting focused on federal workers' credit cards, disrupting their ability to purchase basic supplies, according to multiple media reports.

The Department of Government Efficiency touted the cancellation of thousands of cards and slashing spending limits on others to just $1—a move that has reportedly hindered many employees from making routine purchases needed to perform their jobs.

Earlier this week, Elon Musk formally exited from DOGE, followed by his close associate Steve Davis. The White House maintains that the activities of DOGE will continue despite Musk’s exit.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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