DOGE cuts 610,000 unused federal credit cards

By lauraharris // 2025-06-15

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DOGE has canceled over 610,000 unused or unnecessary federal credit cards in 14 weeks to reduce waste and tighten financial oversight.
Starting with 200,000 deactivations in March across 16 agencies, the audit has since expanded to 55 agencies, uncovering widespread misuse of government cards for luxury and personal expenses.
DOGE's audit exposed serious gaps in federal credit card oversight, with $39.7 billion in annual spending flowing through the system with minimal accountability.
GSA's SmartPay data showed 90 million transactions with an average of $441 each and $506 million in agency refunds, raising concerns over spending justification.
Despite federal requirements, spending data is not being reported to the Federal Procurement Data System, limiting public transparency and prompting watchdog warnings about systemic abuse.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has eliminated over 610,000 unused or unnecessary federal credit cards as part of its ongoing campaign to streamline federal operations and reduce wasteful spending. DOGE, which launched its federal audits in March, began with 200,000 card deactivation across 16 agencies and has since expanded to 32, targeting misuse of taxpayer funds for unauthorized personal expenses such as luxury dining, designer goods, electronics and cosmetic services. Since then, DOGE has suspended about 523,000 federal credit cards to eliminate wasteful spending and curb fraud. (Related: DOGE cancels 500,000 federal credit cards in crackdown on wasteful spending.) "The program to audit unused/unneeded credit cards has been expanded to 32 agencies. After 10 weeks, more than 500K cards have been deactivated," DOGE posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in May. "As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were – 4.6M active cards/accounts, so still more work to do." The suspended cards were part of the General Services Administration (GSA) SmartPay system, which handles billions in government transactions annually. While the cards were intended for official use, DOGE investigators uncovered widespread abuse, revealing that many employees and contractors had used them for personal indulgences instead. Now, as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce the number of government-issued credit cards, DOGE has reported that it has already canceled over 610,000 unused and unnecessary federal credit cards over a 14-week period. "Credit Card Update! After 14 weeks, the program to audit unused/unneeded credit cards has expanded to 55 agencies, resulting in 610k deactivated cards. As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were 4.6M active cards/accounts; more work to do!" DOGE posted on X on June 6.

DOGE exposes weaknesses in oversight of government-issued credit cards

This audit has exposed major weaknesses in oversight of government-issued credit cards, with nearly $40 billion in annual spending previously flowing through the system with minimal scrutiny. According to recently released data from the GSA SmartPay program, federal credit cards were used for 90 million transactions totaling $39.7 billion in the last fiscal year – an all-time high, even as thousands of cards sat idle. The average transaction was $441, and agencies received $506 million in refunds – figures that have raised fresh questions about whether many of the purchases were justified or necessary. Despite federal requirements under Federal Acquisition Regulation 4.606(a)(2) that purchase card data be reported to the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), that information has not been submitted. Instead, spending details are only accessible via the GSA SmartPay website, a lack of transparency that critics say hinders public accountability. A GSA spokesperson said an updated Purchase Card Statistics Report will eventually be published to FPDS, but offered no timeline. For years, watchdog organizations have warned that the lack of oversight created fertile ground for misuse, with few consequences for those who violated spending rules. Fortunately, DOGE's intervention is forcing agencies to account for every transaction and reevaluate internal controls. Visit BigGovernment.news for stories similar to this. Watch the video below that talks about Democrats freaking out over DOGE.

This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com.

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DOGE exposes weaknesses in oversight of government-issued credit cards

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