DOGE’s Discovery of $4.7 Trillion in Untraceable Federal Payments and Government Reform Efforts

Introduction

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk under the Trump administration, has made several significant claims about government spending and transparency, including the discovery of nearly $5 trillion in untraceable federal payments.

This discovery has coincided with significant leadership changes at the Social Security Administration and numerous other government reform initiatives.

FAF examines what we know about these developments, their implications, and the scope of DOGE’s activities.

The $4.7 Trillion “Untraceable” Payments Discovery

In February 2025, DOGE announced it had uncovered a massive gap of approximately $4.7 trillion in federal payments that could not be adequately tracked due to missing identification codes.

According to DOGE, these payments lacked a critical Treasury Account Symbol (TAS), which describes and links payments to specific budget lines.

Understanding the Treasury Account Symbol Issue

The TAS code serves as a fundamental financial tracking mechanism, associating payments with individual budget line items.

DOGE claimed that this field was previously optional for approximately $4.7 trillion in federal payments and was often left blank, rendering traceability “almost impossible.”

The magnitude of these untraceable payments is significant. For perspective, federal expenditures for the fiscal year 2024 totaled approximately $6.75 trillion, with an additional $2.4 trillion already spent in fiscal year 2025.

The $4.7 trillion in untraceable payments represents nearly 70 percent of the previous year’s total federal spending.

DOGE’s Response to the Discovery

Following this discovery, DOGE announced that as of Saturday, February 15, 2025, the TAS field has been made mandatory for all federal payments.

Elon Musk described this change as a “major improvement in Treasury payment integrity,” noting it was a collaborative effort involving DOGE, the Treasury, and the Federal Reserve.

This change is expected to increase transparency in federal spending by making tracking where money is being allocated easier.

Social Security Administration Leadership Crisis

Michelle King’s Resignation

Michelle King, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration, resigned in February 2025 after 30 years of service at the agency. Her departure occurred following a significant disagreement with DOGE over access to sensitive records containing the private information of Americans.

The Nature of the Dispute

According to reports, King’s resignation was precipitated by her refusal to provide DOGE staffers access to sensitive information about Social Security recipients.

This clash highlights growing tensions between career government officials and DOGE’s aggressive approach to government reform and data access.

The Replacement

Following King’s departure, President Trump appointed Leland Dudek, who previously led Social Security’s anti-fraud office, as the acting commissioner.

Dudek has reportedly supported DOGE’s efforts to cut government costs and search for fraud.

The White House has also nominated Frank Bisignano, president and CEO of Fiserv, as the permanent commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

DOGE’s Expanding Government Reform Activities

Mandate and Goals

DOGE was established with the mandate to reduce government spending by $2 trillion by 2026. Since the inauguration of President Trump on January 20, 2025, DOGE has been conducting budget and spending audits along with job cuts across federal agencies.

Key Initiatives and Actions

Agency Shutdowns and Restructuring

DOGE has moved to shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID) completely.

According to reports, all USAID employees, including over 10,000 locally hired foreign workers and over 600 US diplomats, will be laid off by September 2025. Notices to employees are scheduled to be sent out in July and August 2025, effectively ending the agency's “programmatic work.”

Data Access and Systems Integration

DOGE has been seeking direct access to sensitive government systems, including IRS computer systems that contain vast amounts of personal data. This push for data access has created tension with career officials concerned about privacy and data security.

IT Infrastructure Challenges

DOGE’s demands for cuts to IT staff at the Social Security Administration have reportedly contributed to system failures. The Social Security website has experienced chronic outages as retirees and disabled people attempt to access their accounts.

These outages coincide with increased traffic from concerned citizens checking their benefits and downloading statements due to anxiety about potential changes to the system.

Proposed DOGE Stimulus Checks

The $5,000 Stimulus Proposal

One of the more widely discussed initiatives associated with DOGE is the proposed “$5,000 DOGE Stimulus Check”. This proposal emerged after DOGE claimed to have saved the government $55 billion through cost-cutting measures.

James Fishback, CEO of Azoria Investment Firm, suggested that 20% of these savings should be returned to taxpayers, which would amount to approximately $5,000 per taxpaying household.

Eligibility and Status

The proposed stimulus would target “net taxpayers” - those who pay more in federal income tax than they receive in credits or refunds.

This differs from previous stimulus programs as it would exclude many low-income earners, with people earning less than $40,000 per year likely being ineligible.

However, it’s important to note that as of April 2025, this stimulus proposal has not become law and requires congressional approval.

Elon Musk has acknowledged that any stimulus derived from DOGE’s savings would need to go through Congress, stating: “It’s somewhat dependent on Congress and perhaps the president regarding whether specific checks are issued”.

Controversies and Concerns Surrounding DOGE

Privacy and Data Security

A major concern regarding DOGE’s activities is the security of sensitive personal information. Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, has expressed significant concern about DOGE’s efforts to access Social Security Administration data, stating: “there is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is”.

She noted that SSA holds data on virtually all Americans, including sensitive information about Medicare recipients and low-income individuals who have applied for Supplemental Security Income.

Government Service Disruptions

The rapid changes implemented by DOGE have led to service disruptions in critical government agencies. The Social Security Administration has experienced website crashes and other access problems as customers—concerned about potential changes to their benefits—attempt to download their benefit statements and file claims.

These issues may worsen with new identification measures scheduled to take effect on April 14, 2025.

Layoffs and Agency Shutdowns

DOGE’s aggressive approach to cost-cutting has resulted in significant workforce reductions. The planned shutdown of USAID will result in the termination of more than 10,000 locally-hired foreign workers and hundreds of US diplomats.

Similar workforce reductions are occurring across other federal agencies as part of DOGE’s mandate to reduce government spending.

Conclusion

The Department of Government Efficiency has rapidly become a significant force in reshaping the federal government since its establishment under the Trump administration in early 2025.

Its claim of discovering $4.7 trillion in untraceable federal payments represents one of its most substantial findings, leading to changes in Treasury payment tracking systems.

Meanwhile, DOGE’s aggressive approach to government reform has created tensions with career officials, as evidenced by the resignation of the acting Social Security commissioner.

The department’s wide-ranging activities—from agency shutdowns to proposed stimulus checks—indicate its growing influence on federal policy and operations.

As DOGE continues its work toward the goal of reducing government spending by $2 trillion by 2026, the full impact of its initiatives on government services, workforce, and fiscal accountability remains to be seen.

The controversies surrounding its data access requests and the disruptions to government services highlight the challenges of implementing rapid, sweeping reforms across the federal bureaucracy.