DOGE declares $4.7 trillion in federal payments 'almost untraceable', sparks public outcry and memes; ‘Gone like a puff’

DOGE said it is "almost impossible" to track down nearly $4.7 trillion in federal payments because the Treasury Department did not impose a tracking code.

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) identified a code that links US Treasury payments to a budget line item, accounting for approximately $4.7 trillion in payments that were frequently left blank. 

Billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE credited the US Treasury was acknowledged for their efforts in determining the optional field.(Reuters)

In a post on X February 18, the DOGE wrote, “The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury payment to a budget line item (standard financial process).”

“In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible. As of Saturday, this is now a required field, increasing insight into where money is actually going.”

DOGE credited the US Treasury was acknowledged for their efforts in determining the optional field.

Netizens call for investigation

Meanwhile, several X users reacted to DOGE's post, which has so far received over 14 million views.

“4.7 Trillion gone like a puff of smoke, zero accountability , zero checks and balances. Nothing,” one user wrote.

“The US Treasury just tossed $4.7 Trillion of our tax dollars right out of the window. This is why they hate DOGE for exposing them,” another stated.

“It’s amazing that Trump needs $4.7 Trillion to pay for his corrupt Tax Cuts, and some how Musk finds “$4.7 TRILLION in untraceable payments?” Sounds suspicious to me!” a third user reacted.

“Exposing this crap is great but I’m ready to start seeing arrests,” one more remarked.

Know about TAS

TAS codes, occasionally known as the “account,” are used to refer to any of the account identification codes that the Treasury assigns, according to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which is part of the Treasury.

TAS is used to categorise all federal financial transactions when reporting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Treasury.

The revelation was made on the same day DOGE seemed to have updated the DOGE.gov Savings page, which as of Monday night stated that the department has saved an estimated $55 billion since its founding, FOX news reported.

The data, as per DOGE, will be updated two times per week until it is finally real-time. “We are working to upload all of this data in a digestible and fully transparent manner with clear assumptions, consistent with applicable rules and regulations,” the agency stated on its website.

DOGE was created after Trump signed an executive order. It will serve as a temporary White House agency for a period of 18 months.

In addition to attempts to terminate federal contracts and reduce staffing at several agencies, DOGE has come under fire for its access to federal systems, such as the Treasury Department's payment system.

In an effort to prevent DOGE from obtaining federal data, attorneys general from 14 states are filing a lawsuit against the agency, claiming that Musk and Trump's administration have engaged in unlawful presidential overreach.