The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has announced that the U.S. Department of the Treasury launched its first automated payment verification system a week ago, which identified multiple improper payment plans.
According to a post on X, $334 million in improper payment requests were identified and rejected by the new system. The issues included missing budget codes, invalid codes not linked to the budget, and budget codes that lacked proper authorization.
On February 17, 2025, DOGE said that the U.S. Department of the Treasury had made changes to improve payment transparency. In the post, DOGE explained that the Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury payment to a specific budget line item—a standard element of financial tracking. Previously, the TAS field was optional for approximately $4.7 trillion in federal payments and was often left blank, limiting transparency and traceability. It is now a required field, significantly enhancing visibility into how public funds are spent.
DOGE announcement on X
| https://x.com/DOGE/status/1917223651625099407
According to an April 2025 Harvard-Harris Poll, 69% of voters support "undertaking a full-scale effort to find and eliminate fraud and waste in government expenditures," compared to 31% who favor slashing $1 trillion in government spending. Additionally, a majority of voters believe the U.S. should work toward balancing its budget, reducing government expenditures, and conducting a comprehensive review of current spending.
DOGE is described as a federal agency focused on optimizing government spending, reducing waste, and ensuring accountability in contract management according to X. By reviewing expenditures and canceling non-essential contracts, DOGE aims to improve fiscal responsibility and enhance the effectiveness of public resource allocation.
