Got a credit card? Elon Musk announces a measure that could leave you without it

It seems that billionaire Elon Musk’s involvement with the federal government is winding down, or at least will be significantly reduced compared to his active role during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. However, his influence will continue to be felt for months and even years to come.

Some government employees might find that their work credit cards have been deactivated. This decision, made by Musk and the ‘department of government efficiency‘, aims to reduce federal spending and achieve an overall savings goal of $2 trillion.

DOGE’s X account posted on April 16, 2025, that the “program to audit unused/unneeded credit cards [had] been expanded to 30 agencies,” and around 470,000 cards had been deactivated.

The ‘agency’ stated that at the beginning of their audit into the distribution of credit cards across the federal government, around 4.6 million had been issued.

The rules regarding the use of credit cards in the federal government

Credit cards held by public employees are subject to strict auditing. Workers are usually required to provide receipts for their purchases, and their spending can be scrutinized if it is deemed unrelated to their job. However, Musk’s approach fails to recognize that many federal workers do not have the same financial means as he does.

The challenges that can arise as a result of DOGE’s efforts

The use of a work credit card allows them to safeguard their personal finances.

For example, consider a building manager ordering office supplies for over 100 employees. By granting this person access to a credit card, they can make necessary purchases, submit a report, and have the expenses paid without needing to involve their personal finances. This arrangement helps prevent economic hardship and reduces the risk of corruption or misuse, especially if someone knows they will be reimbursed for their spending.

Additionally, if the overall goal is to cut spending, this policy of revoking rights to credit cards will not accomplish it. Again, workers can just be reimbursed with the same funds that would have been used to pay the credit card bill, but instead, the government will be forced to make additional payments to workers.

Newsweek also covered some of the “unintended effects” that arose after the deactivation of credit cards at the Transportation Security Adminstration or TSA.

Most will encounter TSA agents at airport security lines. In April, TSA leaders reported to the outlet that they were “unable to make purchases to support bomb-sniffing dog units” because of the freeze on their cards.

Credit cards are necessary to pay for many items because businesses, even those eager for the government’s business, may require a debit or credit card to be used at checkout.

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