Open Data Initiative

Updates since the weekend

Ongoing Efforts

Since the weekend of February 15-16, 2025, DOGE has focused on continuing its efficiency initiatives. They are working with agencies to simplify the credit card program, which involves 4.6 million active cards processing $40 billion in FY24, and plan to report back in one week. They are also seeking public input to identify waste, fraud, and abuse through their X affiliate accounts.

Previous Findings

Before February 16, 2025, DOGe made significant strides, including cancelling 586 wasteful contracts for a $445 million saving and recovering $1.9 billion in misplaced HUD funds, redirecting these to assist homeless veterans and others. They also cancelled specific spending, such as $10 million for Mozambique and $9.7 million for UC Berkeley's Cambodian youth program.

Since February 16, 2025

  1. Credit Card Program Review:

    • On February 18, 2025, at 19:26 PST, DOGe posted on X about the government's credit card usage, noting approximately 4.6 million active credit cards/accounts processed about 90 million unique transactions for roughly $40 billion in FY24 (DOGE X Post on Credit Card Program). They are working with agencies to simplify the program and reduce administrative costs, with a promise to report back in one week.

  2. Public Input Solicitation:

    • On February 16, 2025, at 16:49 PST, DOGe sought help from the general public via X, asking for insights on reducing waste, fraud, and abuse through DMs to affiliate accounts like @DOGE_USDA and @DOGE_SSA (DOGE X Post on Public Input).
    • @DOGE_USDA posted on February 16, 2025, at 20:03 PST, seeking public input on USDA-related waste, fraud, and abuse (DOGE_USDA X Post on Public Input).
    • @DOGE_HUD posted on February 17, 2025, at 08:42 PST, seeking public input on HUD-related issues (DOGE_HUD X Post on Public Input).

  3. Other Observations:

    • On February 16, 2025, at 21:15 PST, DOGe posted "Looking into this" on X, but without context, it was unclear what was being investigated (DOGE X Post "Looking into this").
    • Elon Musk posted on February 16, 2025, at 18:20 PST, asking the public to DM DOGE handles to report government waste and fraud, but no specific findings were mentioned (Elon Musk X Post on Reporting Waste)
Category Details Amount Involved Date
Credit Card Program Review Working to simplify program, 4.6M cards, $40B FY24 spend, report in 1 week - Feb 18, 2025
Public Input Solicitation Seeking insights on waste, fraud, abuse via DM to affiliates - Feb 16, 2025

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