A $4.7 trillion black hole in US government spending just got exposed. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) discovered that nearly five trillion dollars in Treasury payments had been processed without a mandatory identification code today, making the money nearly impossible to track.
The issue? The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS)—a required code that links federal payments to budget line items—was optional for years. According to D.O.G.E, billions of dollars were flowing unchecked, leaving little to no trail on where the money actually went. As of Saturday, the TAS field is now mandatory.
“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,” D.O.G.E posted on X Monday night. The agency credited the US Treasury for helping uncover the issue.
D.O.G.E uncovers billions in government waste
The Bureau of the Fiscal Service, a division of the Treasury, confirmed that TAS codes classify every financial transaction reported to the Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
But until now, agencies had the option to leave the TAS field blank, making it nearly impossible to track massive portions of the federal budget.
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
The discovery was announced the same day D.O.G.E updated the DOGE.gov Savings page, reporting $55 billion in estimated savings since the department’s launch. The agency said the data would be updated twice per week until it could eventually provide real-time tracking.
D.O.G.E outlined where those savings came from:
- Fraud detection and deletion
- Contract and lease cancellations or renegotiations
- Asset sales and grant cancellations
- Workforce reductions and program eliminations
- Regulatory cost cuts
“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,” D.O.G.E said on its website.
D.O.G.E faces lawsuits over federal data access
Meanwhile, attorneys general from 14 states have sued to block D.O.G.E from obtaining sensitive government records, saying that D.O.G.E and Trump’s administration are overstepping executive authority.
Despite the lawsuits, a Washington federal judge ruled on Friday that D.O.G.E could continue accessing data from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
But not all agencies are complying. Michelle King, the head of the Social Security Administration, resigned after refusing to grant D.O.G.E access to agency records, according to a Fox News report.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields confirmed her departure, saying, “President Trump has nominated the highly qualified and talented Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration, and we expect him to be swiftly confirmed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner.”
Fields added, “President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long.”
Elon’s budget cuts divide Conservatives
Elon’s D.O.G.E is dividing conservatives, who are now his people. Some Republican budget experts praise Elon’s direct access to government records, arguing that D.O.G.E has uncovered more waste than previous cost-cutting efforts.
Others say it’s too early to tell, claiming the agency is focusing on smaller agencies instead of making cuts to major budget areas like defense, Social Security, and Medicare.
A White House report last week said at least $2.2 billion in initial savings, while the D.O.G.E website now lists over $5.6 billion. But Elon’s goal remains much higher.
Elon initially wanted to cut $2 trillion from the budget, matching the size of the federal deficit. He has since adjusted that target to $1 trillion, a number that still dwarfs the agency’s current progress.
