Musk’s DOGE Cancels 200,000 Govt. Credit Cards As Spending Limits Take Effect

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on Tuesday via a post on X that it has revoked over 200,000 government-issued credit cards.

DOGE, which operates under the supervision of White House advisor Elon Musk, previously stated on February 18 that it was collaborating with federal agencies to streamline credit card usage and cut administrative expenses. According to USA Today, the federal government reportedly managed 4.6 million credit cards, facilitating 90 million distinct transactions during the 2024 fiscal year.

One week later, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at initiating a “transformation in Federal spending.” The directive imposed a 30-day freeze on agency employee credit cards.

On Tuesday, DOGE provided an update on its three-week effort, confirming that the initiative is currently auditing 16 federal agencies. The Health and Human Services Department and the Department of the Interior were highlighted for making “great progress this past week.”

Trump and Musk have consistently supported significant reductions in federal expenditures, which have included proposals to downsize the government workforce by over 100,000 employees, USA Today further reported.

The executive order regarding the credit card freeze does include an exemption for personnel “utilizing such credit cards for disaster relief or natural disaster response benefits or operations or other critical services as determined by the Agency Head.”

Additionally, a March 5 memo states that civilian employees at the Department of Defense are subject to a $1 limit on their government travel credit cards. However, the restriction does not apply to travel “in direct support of military operations or a permanent change of station,” according to the memo.

Earlier this month, Trump praised Musk’s efforts in identifying and addressing excessive government spending. Musk, who has become a major adversary of the Democratic Party, was encouraged by Trump to intensify his efforts.

“ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, using his characteristic all-caps style. “REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA!”

Musk responded with a post of his own: “Will do, Mr. President!”

On Tuesday, Trump also declared that any attacks targeting Tesla dealerships would be classified as domestic terrorism. This announcement coincided with his showcase of a newly purchased red Tesla at the White House.

“I will do that. I’ll do it. I’m going to stop them … Those people are going to go through a big problem when we catch them,” Trump said when asked by a reporter about recent incidents, standing alongside Musk, Tesla’s CEO.

“We already know who some of them are,” he added. “We’re gonna catch ’em. They’re bad guys. They’re the same guys that screw around with our schools and universities — the same garbage.”

Trump also clarified that his stance extends beyond Tesla, emphasizing that attacks on any American business would be met with strong repercussions.

“Let me tell you, you do it to Tesla, you do it to any company, you’re gonna go through hell,” he said.

Reports indicate that Tesla dealerships in Massachusetts, Colorado, New York, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, have been targeted in recent attacks.