In a sweeping move aimed at curbing inefficiency and overspending, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a federal audit body reportedly conceived by tech billionaire Elon Musk—has deactivated nearly 470,000 unused and unnecessary government-issued credit cards across 30 agencies, according to a recent announcement from its official social media handle.
Launched as a part of an expansive internal audit programme, DOGE revealed that it began with an astonishing 4.6 million active credit card accounts. While the deactivation of hundreds of thousands of cards marks a significant milestone, DOGE emphasized that much work remains.
The data disclosed by the agency details the number of purchase and travel cards issued by various federal departments. For instance, before the audit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) held 12,488 purchase cards and 67,376 travel cards, while the Department of the Interior had issued 20,998 purchase cards and 56,909 travel cards. The Department of the Treasury had 3,459 purchase cards and 51,348 travel cards, and the Department of Transportation topped the list with 84,268 purchase cards and 38,924 travel cards.
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Reacting to the figures, Elon Musk called them “crazy,” noting that the number of active cards appeared to exceed the total number of federal employees.
In a parallel development, DOGE is reportedly leveraging artificial intelligence tools to monitor internal communications within at least one federal agency for signs of resistance to former President Donald Trump and his policies, according to a Reuters report. The unit is also allegedly using the encrypted messaging app Signal, raising concerns over potential violations of federal record-keeping requirements due to its auto-delete features.
The scope and secrecy surrounding DOGE continue to fuel intrigue as the Musk-backed initiative reshapes the federal bureaucracy under a strict efficiency lens.
