Washington, April 18, 2025 – The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, deactivated 470,000 federal credit cards across 30 US agencies in a seven-week audit, targeting “unused or unneeded” cards to curb waste, per a Tuesday X post. With 4.6 million active cards at the audit’s start—handling $40 billion in 2024 spending—Musk slammed the total as “crazy,” noting it’s double the 2.3 million federal workforce (web:0,5,10). The move, part of Trump’s $1 trillion cost-cutting push, has sparked cheers and chaos.
DOGE’s sweep, expanded from 16 agencies, hit travel and purchase cards—171,120 and 33,681 respectively—used for flights, lab supplies, and maintenance (web:7,13). The Department of Interior led with 60,000 cancellations, followed by Health and Human Services at 45,935 (web:14,18). “Twice as many cards as employees? Shady spending,” Musk tweeted (web:10). Critics warn of fallout—FDA staff struggle to buy lab gear, and TSA’s bomb-sniffing dog units faced delays (web:0,8). A finance expert told Newsweek, “These are lifelines—hospitals can’t restock fast” (web:4).
Savings are murky—DOGE claims $115 billion overall, but only $8.6 billion is verified, with 40% of cuts yielding no gain (web:1,18). X buzzes—“Musk’s cleaning house!”—but some cry overreach: “Bureaucracy’s slowed, not saved” (post:1). India’s tech hub watches—Bengaluru’s IT giants like Infosys, fresh off 240 trainee firings, eye US contracts (web:12). For India’s 5 crore tech workers, it’s a signal—US cuts could shift jobs here (NASSCOM). But 2024’s 90 million US transactions—$441 average—hint at scale India can’t match (web:17).
Trump’s February 26 order froze cards for 30 days, exempting disaster relief (web:16). DOGE’s $1 limits on remaining cards snarl workflows—GSA staff need per-purchase approvals (web:20). For India’s 140 crore, it’s a lesson—efficiency or overkill? Will DOGE’s axe save billions, or just choke the system?
