# DOGE; the department of Government Efficiency **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** elon-musk\ **Created:** [November 13, 2024, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227 "2024-11-13T23:28:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/381 "2025-02-26T03:42:53Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > NB: there’s a very brief scene where Stewart has cut his hand. It’s at about 20m15s if you’re squeamish. You don’t see the blood in that clip. That was an awesome rant. I wonder if he had to get stitches? Here is what happened during the commercial break afterwards. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xVu4qDcyS4w/maxresdefault.jpg "Jon Stewart Will Do Anything For The Bit - After The Cut | The Daily Show") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVu4qDcyS4w1) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/382 "2025-02-26T16:51:37Z")
I saw something about how DOGE effectively cancelled many government credit cards, by resetting the credit limit on them to one dollar. They seem to be making much of the idea that there are 4.6 million credit cards. Note that some are fleet cards (which stay with a particular vehicle), travel cards and purchasing cards. So some people may have more than one government credit card. (See [here](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1892053568443568583)) > The US government currently has ~4.6M active credit cards/accounts, which processed ~90M unique transactions for ~$40B of spend in FY24. > > DOGE is working w/ the agencies to simplify the program and reduce admin costs - we will report back in 1 week. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/383 "2025-02-26T17:12:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > DOGE effectively cancelled many government credit cards In before: All government agencies must use crypto-wallets. 'Cause that isn’t gonna lead to anything bad! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/384 "2025-02-26T17:44:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I saw something about how DOGE effectively cancelled many government credit cards, by resetting the credit limit on them to one dollar. They seem to be making much of the idea that there are 4.6 million credit cards. Note that some are fleet cards (which stay with a particular vehicle), travel cards and purchasing cards. So some people may have more than one government credit card. (See [here](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1892053568443568583)) All true. But to my knowledge, there was no warning: people on travel or trying to refill a running-on-empty fleet car when their travel/fleet card was kneecapped may have had difficulty getting home. Moreover, the purchase cards are an important tool for acquiring mission-critical products and services from vendors in a timely fashion. Formal contracts are the way to go for major purchases, but if you just need a few hundred bucks’ worth of raw material for a project, the purchase card is much quicker. And contrary to what some folks might think, there’s a lot of oversight on those purchase card users (at least where I work) to ensure that the purchases are for legit government business. With no information regarding how long the purchase cards will be off-limits, we are now scrambling to find other ways to get what we need to do our jobs. Has there been any explanation about why DOGE felt it was necessary to shut the cards down during their investigation? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/385 "2025-02-26T17:57:06Z")
I have a gov travel card. I just logged in to the account. It shows the available credit is $7500. Thus so far, I haven’t been affected. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/386 "2025-02-26T19:39:32Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Has there been any explanation about why DOGE felt it was necessary to shut the cards down during their investigation? I’d be surprised if it’s anything more than “these are government cards, people _must_ be abusing them”. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/387 "2025-02-26T20:37:49Z")
Musk was at the cabinet meeting today. He was wearing a T-shirt under an ill-chosen jacket and a baseball cap; everyone else appears to be properly dressed like adults. His face looked haggard and worn out by drug use, and he was inexplicably just standing there when everyone else was seated. The US government is careening off a cliff. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/388 "2025-02-26T20:48:23Z")
[Marjorie Taylor Greene: Federal workers ‘don’t deserve’ their paychecks](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5165176-marjorie-taylor-greene-criticized/) > “Those are not real jobs producing federal revenue, by the way. They’re consuming taxpayer dollars. Those jobs are paid for by the American tax people, who work real jobs, earn real income, pay federal taxes and then pay these federal employees,” Greene said during the [House Oversight and Government Reform Committee] hearing. I can’t even… If you don’t understand how or why the government is made up of people doing jobs in exchange for tax money works, and why these jobs aren’t producing revenue then you really completely misunderstand how government works. Obviously more dumb-speak by Concrete Block Blonde, who we already know doesn’t understand how government works. But I hate when her brain turds get out into the wild and infect Grandma and Drunk Uncle who wake up from their whisky naps to say “Yeah! Don’t produce revenue! Sucks up tax dollars! Fire 'em all!” ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/389 "2025-02-26T20:51:23Z")
What actual work does Marjorie Taylor Greene do? ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/390 "2025-02-26T23:14:49Z")
Has she ever gotten a bill out of committee? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/391 "2025-02-26T23:22:05Z")
The _Lauren Boebert is a Little Bitch_ bill almost got enough votes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/392 "2025-02-26T23:22:46Z")
I’ve read that some departments and agencies are reversing some employee terminations, because those in charge suddenly realized, for example, that firing those employees working on the response to the bird flu might have been a mistake. Another example; some staffers at the FDA responsible for reviewing medical devices weren’t actually costing the government anything because their salaries were paid by industry fees. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/393 "2025-02-27T10:19:26Z")
Erm… remind me who employs her?! Isn’t she just talking about herself there, too? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/394 "2025-02-27T10:32:12Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’ve read that some departments and agencies are reversing some employee terminations, because those in charge suddenly realized, for example, that firing those employees working on the response to the bird flu might have been a mistake. There have been a fair number of those, perhaps the most famous being the folks in the National Nuclear Security Administration who ensure that our nuclear weapons are well-maintained and reliable. A number of them were terminated, and then soon after were invited back to work. Except there was considerable difficulty locating some of them, and some others basically said “fuck you I’m not coming back”. Among those who did come back, their loyalty has been damaged and some of them now only plan to stay in those jobs for as long as it takes to get a new job somewhere else. > **[Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can’t figure...](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-administration-wants-un-fire-nuclear-safety-workers-cant-figure-rcna192345)** > > The workers, whose agency oversees the nation’s nuclear stockpile, had been fired on Thursday and lost access to their federal government email accounts. “Move fast, break things” may be a successful policy when you’re trying to build cars, rockets, or software in a competitive environment, but it’s a shitty way to run a government. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/395 "2025-02-27T13:39:43Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > And contrary to what some folks might think, **there’s a lot of oversight on those purchase card users (at least where I work)** to ensure that the purchases are for legit government business. Bolding mine. Same here. To the point that it’s a real PITA. Luckily I don’t have to use it very often, but sheeeessse. > [@dtilque](#): > > I’d be surprised if it’s anything more than “these are government cards, people _must_ be abusing them”. More projection of course. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/396 "2025-02-27T14:34:23Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Erm… remind me who employs her?! Isn’t she just talking about herself there, too? Sadly, no. She’s an elected official who isn’t employed by the US Gov’t she just happens to get a paycheck from the gov’t as per congress’s rules. She has no boss and if she were to get fired it would have to be by recall of the vote. I’m a member of my small city’s city council (population 13k), a body that is basically the equivalent to congress. We are technically on the city payroll but the city can’t do anything to us, we have no boss, we don’t answer to the mayor, we’re just to regulate ourselves. We have one member who is terrible and doesn’t show up to meetings and votes contrary to everyone else and we can’t get rid of him. We can censure him for egregious stuff, and ask him to resign but he’s there until the residents recall him or vote him out. So no, Congress people don’t work for the Federal Government, I’m afraid. They serve at the will of the people. And she knows it. She doesn’t consider federal workers her peers, because they aren’t, unfortunately (they’re actual skilled people chosen by other skilled people to do skilled work). ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/397 "2025-02-27T15:24:26Z")
Ah yes, of course. It works in the same way in the UK. Recent example being an MP who has just been let off (suspended sentence) for assault. He can’t be sacked (but can be suspended or have the whip removed, i.e. the Labour party kick him out), and will have to be recalled by petition of his constituents before he can be got rid of. Unless he resigns. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/398 "2025-02-27T15:30:05Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > She’s an elected official who isn’t employed by the US Gov’t she just happens to get a paycheck from the gov’t as per congress’s rules. Ahh, she’s on welfare! ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/399 "2025-02-27T18:13:24Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Sadly, no. She’s an elected official who isn’t employed by the US Gov’t she just happens to get a paycheck from the gov’t as per congress’s rules. She has no boss and if she were to get fired it would have to be by recall of the vote. Unfortunately, the Recall doesn’t apply to Congresspeople, as it does to officials in many of the states. Other than to not be reelected, the only way she can lose her seat is to be expelled by a vote of the House. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227/400 "2025-03-14T12:50:26Z")
You might slip in under the wire. Good luck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doge-the-department-of-government-efficiency/1010227.md?page=21)