Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) suggested that the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to downsize the government are similar to how businesses and even individuals account for their expenses, saying it is not “unique” for people to check where their spending is going.
DOGE revealed on X that the Treasury Access Symbol, used to identify Treasury payments to a budget line item, was often left blank for $4.7 trillion in federal government payments, making it “almost impossible” to trace payments.
When explaining this discovery, Scott compared DOGE’s work to how he looked through “every line item” in the budgets of his previous business ventures and how he ensured every line in Florida’s budget had a purpose during his time as governor in the 2010s.
The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury payment to a budget line item (standard financial process).
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 17, 2025
In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost…
DOGE GIVES OUR DEMOCRACY AN OVERDUE UPGRADE
“So that’s exactly what the federal government should be doing,” Scott explained on Fox News’s Fox & Friends. “So the fact that the Treasury Department has, what, $4.7 trillion that they have no idea, there’s no allocation of where the money is spent, it makes no sense to anybody!”
Scott said he is working on a bill that would require the Treasury Department to detail “how every dime is spent.”
In a move to further DOGE’s mission, President Donald Trump and DOGE head Elon Musk detailed how they seek to cut $1 trillion out of the nation’s deficit. Musk has warned that “America will go bankrupt” if this is not brought under control.
???? BREAKING: Elon Musk announces DOGE hopes to slash $1 trillion out of the U.S. deficit.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 19, 2025
"Our goal is to try to get a trillion dollars out of the deficit. And if the deficit is not put under control – America will go bankrupt. pic.twitter.com/wVAP7UbK3V
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Musk also hinted at the possibility of sending $5,000 checks to taxpayers in the United States, which would be a 20% refund of money that the quasi-government agency saves taxpayers through spending cuts. The billionaire said he would “check with the president” on this matter.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Tuesday that roughly $50 billion has been saved through the work of DOGE so far, which he deemed “a very good start.”