The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has announced the cancellation of more than half a million government credit cards amid its crackdown on federal spending.
Why It Matters
DOGE first announced on February 18 that it was working with agencies to simplify federal credit card accounts and reduce administrative costs, estimating the federal government had some 4.6 million credit cards and 90 million unique transactions in the 2024 fiscal year. President Donald Trump later issued an executive order calling for a 30-day freeze on agency employee credit cards.
While proponents of DOGE’s cuts say they eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government spending, critics argue that some cuts have hampered operations at federal agencies, including ordering essential supplies and paying for government-related services and contracts.
What To Know
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, DOGE said it had deactivated 523,000 credit cards following a 13-week audit.
The cancellations include credit cards from various federal agencies—including NASA, the General Services Administration; the Office of Personnel Management; and the departments of the Treasury, Education, Interior, Commerce, Agriculture and State.
“We are now expanding the program to more agencies, as there is much more work to do,” DOGE wrote.
Credit Card Update!After 13 weeks, the program to audit unused/unneeded credit cards across 32 agencies has resulted in ~523k de-activated cards.As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were ~4.6M active cards/accounts – we are now expanding the program to more… pic.twitter.com/pawuksvRgP
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) May 30, 2025
In February, Trump’s executive order froze almost all agency employee credit cards, with the exception of those who used them for “disaster relief or natural disaster response benefits or operations or other critical services.”
Agency heads and DOGE leaders also permitted categorical and individual exemptions to some government credit card holders.
What People Are Saying
The Department of Government Efficiency wrote on X: “After 13 weeks, the program to audit unused/unneeded credit cards across 32 agencies has resulted in ~523k de-activated cards. As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were ~4.6M active cards/accounts—we are now expanding the program to more agencies, as there is much more work to do.”
Michael Ryan, the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek in March: “These aren’t your typical consumer credit cards. We’re looking at lifelines for federal agencies—cards that keep the lights on, quite literally. Need to book a last-minute flight for a critical meeting? There’s a card for that. Emergency maintenance part for a military vehicle? Yep, another card. Office supplies for a research lab working on something that could change the world? You guessed it—another card.”
Jessica Childress, the founder of the Childress Firm and a former lawyer for the Department of Justice, told Fortune in March: “These cards are the ways that many government workers are performing the duties they’ve taken an oath to perform. It facilitates the ability of these employees to do their jobs.”
What Happens Next
Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, has confirmed that he is stepping away from the White House, where he has served as a senior adviser to the president.
On X, he said that despite his departure, which comes as the 130-day limit on his tenure as a special government employee approaches, DOGE’s “mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
The post DOGE Deactivates 523,000 Credit Cards appeared first on Newsweek.
