DOGE disclosures: Biden administration spent $40 billion on 4.6 million credit cards last year

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, revealed that according to official data, in fiscal year 2024 the Biden administration spent approximately $39.7 billion through 4.6 million active credit accounts. This amount came from more than 90 million transactions conducted under the General Services Administration's (GSA) SmartPay payment system.

DOGE announced that it will report in a week on its plan to simplify the federal government's credit card program, with the goal of reducing administrative costs.

Spending steadily rising

Spending with these cards has been on the rise. In 2022, the figure was $32.8 billion, an increase of nearly $7 billion in just two years. In addition, the amount of transactions went from 78.5 million in 2022 to more than 90 million in 2024.

The audit found that 12% of government card purchases in 2023 may have violated Pentagon policies. In total, more than 11,000 suspicious transactions worth more than $500,000 were identified at casinos, bars, nightclubs and mobile apps, many of them made during vacations and sporting events.

Given these findings, former DOD Inspector General Robert Storch warned of the lack of internal controls and the need to strengthen oversight of the program.