DOGE Deactivates 500,000 Credit Cards, Cuts $285M Contracts, $13.6M DEI Grants, and $3.2B DOT Grants

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has intensified its efforts to reduce federal government waste, deactivating over 500,000 government credit cards across 32 agencies. This initiative began with 4.6 million active accounts and has led to the cancellation of 522 contracts worth $285 million, resulting in $110 million in taxpayer savings. Among the terminated contracts was a $181,000 USDA contract for a technical climate advisor in Central Africa. DOGE's actions also include the elimination of $13.6 million in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-related grants by the Department of Labor, saving $8.4 million, with cuts to programs such as DEIA training modules and gender equity awareness. Additionally, the Department of Transportation is removing 3,200 grants totaling $3.2 billion that were originally allocated for social justice and DEI initiatives under the Biden administration. DOGE has also targeted contracts linked to Bay Area businesses and nonprofits, terminating over 100 such contracts. The agency reports having cut $165 billion in wasteful federal spending, though officials note that further reductions in entitlement programs and mandatory spending are necessary to impact the federal deficit meaningfully. The Trump administration has highlighted these cuts as part of broader efforts to eliminate funding for DEI policies, claiming $2 billion in taxpayer savings and the termination of 745 DEI-related positions in the first 100 days.