DOGE Claims It Found Almost Untraceable Budget Line Item With Over $4.7T in Payments

The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovered a massive oversight in federal spending—$4.7 trillion in payments lacked an identification code, making them nearly impossible to trace. A new rule now requires all payments to include a Treasury Access Symbol (TAS), ensuring greater transparency in government spending.

Key Facts:

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) found that nearly $4.7 trillion in federal payments were untraceable due to missing TAS codes.
TAS codes link Treasury payments to budget line items, making transactions trackable.
As of Saturday, the Treasury now requires all federal payments to include a TAS code.
DOGE claims to have already saved $55 billion through fraud detection, contract renegotiations, and workforce reductions.
A coalition of 14 state attorneys general is suing to block DOGE’s access to federal data, citing concerns over executive overreach.

The Rest of The Story:

The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is a financial tracking code that ties federal payments to specific budget accounts.

Until recently, using this code was optional for nearly $4.7 trillion in government transactions, meaning vast sums of taxpayer money were difficult—if not impossible—to track.

DOGE, a cost-cutting agency created by the Trump administration, pushed to make TAS codes mandatory, increasing oversight on how federal dollars are spent.

DOGE announced the change on X, thanking the Treasury for its cooperation.

The agency is also working to make federal spending data more transparent, with updates expected twice per week and eventually in real-time.

Despite these efforts, the department faces legal challenges.

Attorneys general from 14 states have filed a lawsuit, claiming the administration is overstepping its authority.

However, a federal judge recently ruled in DOGE’s favor, allowing it continued access to sensitive financial data.

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…

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 17, 2025

Commentary:

For years, the federal government funneled trillions of taxpayer dollars into untraceable payments.

That should alarm every American.

The fact that a tracking system existed but wasn’t required raises serious questions—who benefited from this lack of oversight?

Why was it ever optional in the first place?

This discovery is a glaring example of why Washington needs aggressive spending reform.

When government agencies are allowed to operate without transparency, waste and fraud flourish.

Requiring TAS codes is a basic step toward accountability, but it begs the question: What other loopholes exist that allow taxpayer money to disappear?

🚨 | BREAKING: DOGE just uncovered that the Treasury Department failed to trace $4.7 TRILLION in payments.

For YEARS, the government made trillions in untracked transactions because a key tracking field was optional, until DOGE just made it mandatory.

They weren’t just wasting… pic.twitter.com/KSpMgh9Hto

— Hank™ (@HANKonX) February 17, 2025

The legal pushback against DOGE is also revealing.

Why would state attorneys general fight an effort to track federal spending?

The claim of executive overreach is a convenient excuse, but the real issue may be that too many politicians and bureaucrats have benefited from an opaque system.

Americans should demand more initiatives like this one.

If a single rule change can expose trillions in previously untraceable transactions, imagine what else could be uncovered with deeper audits and real enforcement of budget rules.

DOGE’s early efforts have already saved $55 billion, proving that there’s plenty of fat to cut.

The real question is whether Washington will allow those savings to continue—or whether special interests will succeed in shutting down the effort.

The Bottom Line:

The federal government has been making trillions in untraceable payments, but that’s finally changing.

Thanks to DOGE, all Treasury transactions must now be linked to a budget item, ensuring greater transparency.

While legal battles loom, this is a major win for taxpayers.

Now, Americans must demand even more accountability in government spending.