Tag: payments

DOGE finds nearly untraceable budget line item responsible for $4.7T in payments

The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) discovered an identification code linking U.S. Treasury payments to a budget line item, which accounts for nearly $4.7 trillion in payments which was oftentimes left blank.

“The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury payment to a budget line item (standard financial process),” DOGE wrote in a post on X. “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.”

The agency thanked the U.S. Treasury for their work in identifying the optional field.

WHAT HAS DOGE CUT SO FAR?

According to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which is under the Treasury, TAS codes are used to describe any one of the account identification codes assigned by the Treasury and is also referred to as the “account.”

All financial transactions made by the federal government are classified by TAS when reporting to the Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The discovery was announced on the same day DOGE appeared to have populated the DOGE.gov Savings page, which, as of Monday evening, said the total estimated savings since the establishment of the department total about $55 billion.

DOGE PUTS DEI ON CHOPPING BLOCK WITH TERMINATION OF OVER $370M IN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GRANTS

President Donald Trump and DOGE head Elon Musk address attempts to portray a rivalry between the pair on a ‘Hannity’ exclusive, airing Tuesday, February 18. (Fox News)

The savings are a combination of “fraud detection/deletion, contract/lease cancellations, contract/lease renegotiations, asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes, and regulatory savings.”

“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,” DOGE wrote on the site, adding that the data will be updated twice per week until eventually becoming real-time.

Musk is leading DOGE to aggressively slash government waste when it comes to federal spending under President Donald Trump.

DOGE SLASHES OVER $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: ‘WIN FOR EVERY STUDENT’

The Congressional DOGE Caucus now has over 100 members, Fox News Digital was told (House of Representatives/Getty)

The department was created via executive order and is a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months carrying out its mission.

The group has faced criticism over its access to federal systems, including the Treasury Department’s payment system, as well as moves to cancel federal contracts and make cuts at various agencies.

Attorneys general from 14 states are suing to block DOGE from accessing federal data, arguing Musk and Trump’s administration have engaged in illegal executive overreach.

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The newly formed cost-cutting agency scored a win on Friday when a federal judge in Washington declined a request to temporarily block it from accessing sensitive data from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Fox News Digital’s Hillary Vaugh and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 18, 2025

Airlines ask Trump admin to end review of payments for flight disruptions

Travel + Leisure Co. CEO Mike Brown reacts to the announcement on ‘The Claman Countdown.’

A trade group representing three major U.S. airlines is asking the Trump administration to abandon a review over whether they should be required to pay passengers compensation over flight disruptions.

Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) this week, Reuters reported.

The letter urged the Trump administration to end the review launched in December to take public comments on whether U.S. airlines should give cash as compensation for carrier-caused disruptions, as is done in the European Union and Canada.

“Airlines do not need further incentive to provide quality service,” the group wrote, according to Reuters, arguing that the DOT does not have the authority to do this, and that the requirement would drastically increase airlines’ costs – and ticket prices.

JETBLUE HIT WITH $2M FINE FOR CHRONIC FLIGHT DELAYS

An American Eagle Embraer ERJ 170-200 takes off at Los Angeles international Airport on July 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)

Last month, the DOT imposed a $2 million penalty on JetBlue Airways after a federal investigation revealed that it was “operating multiple chronically delayed flights.”

The DOT’s order required JetBlue to stop chronic flight delays., Of the $2 million penalty, half was to go directly to the U.S. Treasury, with the other half to be used to compensate passengers who were impacted by the chronically delayed flights or any future flight disruptions of three hours or more caused by JetBlue within the next year, the DOT said.

TRAVELING BY PLANE FOR THE HOLIDAYS? HOW AIRLINE REFUND RULES CAN HELP WHEN FLIGHTS ARE CANCELED, DELAYED

Several Delta Air Lines airplanes on a tarmac

Delta Air Lines planes are seen at John F. Kennedy International Airport on the July 4th weekend in Queens, New York City, U.S., July 2, 2022. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

The future compensation must be valued at a minimum of $75 for each harmed passenger, the DOT said.

Before the 2024 holiday season kicked off, the Biden administration’s new rules, which require automatic cash refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights, took effect.

BIDEN ADMIN’S NEW AIRLINE RULES TO REQUIRE CASH REFUNDS FOR CANCELED FLIGHTS, FEES DISCLOSED UP FRONT

United Airlines airplanes proceed to a runway at Newark Liberty International Airport in front of the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on January 27, 2024, in Newark, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The new automatic refund rule, first laid out in April by the DOT, created a universal standard for when airline passengers on flights to, from or within the U.S. are owed refunds.

Prior to the rule taking effect, airlines set their own standards for what flight changes warranted a refund. Passengers then had to “navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request refunds owed to them,” the DOT said.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
DAL	DELTA AIR LINES INC.	64.75	-1.45	-2.19%
UAL	UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC.	103.31	-2.77	-2.61%
AAL	AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.	16.41	-0.21	-1.26%

The rule was established to “address persistent issues reported by airline passengers who were trying to obtain refunds they were owed,” the DOT said.

The International Air Transport Association representing airlines worldwide separately criticized the idea, saying required compensation programs “have become wealth transfer tools that have cost airlines billions of dollars without any meaningful reduction in flight disruptions.”

Travelers wheel luggage toward Spirit Airlines check-in desk at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Spirit Airlines said the idea is so extreme “it might encourage carriers to re-evaluate when they proceed with flights that should have been further delayed or canceled when potential safety related concerns exist.”

FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese and Reuters contributed to this report.

February 12, 2025

New round of Social Security payments will be made this week

Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., reacts to President-elect Trumps appointees and agenda on Cavuto: Coast to Coast.

A new round of Social Security payments is scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday, with a subset of beneficiaries set to receive up to thousands of dollars in monthly benefits.

Social Security benefits are paid out on four different dates each month and the timing depends on how long beneficiaries have been claiming benefits as well as their birthdays.

Benefits are paid on the second, third and fourth Wednesdays of the month with retirees whose birthdays fall between the first and 10th days of the month getting their benefits on the second Wednesday, while those born between the 11th and 20th falling on the third Wednesday. Those born from the 21st to the 31st get paid on the fourth Wednesday.

However, retirees who have been receiving Social Security benefits since at least May 1997 are paid on the third day of each month. If they’re also receiving Supplemental Security Income, they receive that on the first day of the month.

MILLIONS TO GET HIGHER SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS UNDER NEW LAW

Social Security payment dates generally depend on the birthdate of the beneficiary, though it’s different for those who’ve been receiving benefits since May 1997. ((Photo illustration by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

Retirees who claim their Social Security benefits when they reach the safety net program’s full retirement age of 67 receive a maximum monthly payment of $4,018.

Americans can opt to begin receiving Social Security sooner than that in exchange for receiving smaller monthly payments. The earliest age at which Social Security benefits can be claimed is 62, when they would be eligible to receive a maximum monthly benefit of $2,831.

Social Security also incentivizes workers with a larger benefit if they delay retirement until age 70, which would allow them to receive a maximum monthly benefit of up to $5,108.

SOCIAL SECURITY’S FULL RETIREMENT AGE IS INCREASING IN 2025: WHAT TO KNOW

Social Security’s COLA for 2025 was 2.5%, the smallest since 2021 as inflation eased. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Social Security benefits are determined based on an individual beneficiary’s lifetime earnings and the length of time they have paid Social Security payroll taxes. Eligible beneficiaries have to work and pay into Social Security through payroll taxes for at least 10 years to receive benefits.

Benefits are adjusted annually to account for inflation through what’s known as a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). This year, a 2.5% COLA was applied to boost retirees’ 2025 Social Security benefits.

The 2.5% COLA is the smallest since 2021 as inflation has eased in recent years after it reached the highest level in four decades in 2022, though prices remain elevated and are straining household budgets.

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The new COLA took effect for most Social Security recipients when they received their January benefit distributions.

February 12, 2025
Musk rips ‘fraudulent’ Treasury payments as reports mount DOGE has access to federal payment system

Tech billionaire Elon Musk ripped alleged “fraudulent” Treasury payments on Saturday as reports circulated that the Department of Government Efficiency has gained acces to the federal government’s payment system as the second Trump administration continues cutting what they say is government fat and overspending.

“The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups. They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once,” Musk, the chair of DOGE, posted early Saturday morning to X.

Musk’s post came just ahead of the New York Times reporting Saturday afternoon that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted DOGE personnel access to the payment system. The Treasury spends roughly $6 trillion per year on payments for federal agencies.

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, posted to social media on Saturday that he has also been informed that DOGE was granted access to the system.

DOGE ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $1B IN SAVINGS AFTER CANCELING 104 FEDERAL DEI CONTRACTS

Elon Musk is heading the Department of Government Efficiency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Sources tell my office that Treasury Secretary Bessent has granted DOGE *full* access to this system. Social Security and Medicare benefits, grants, payments to government contractors, including those that compete directly with Musk’s own companies. All of it,” Wyden posted to social media site BlueSky on Saturday evening.

DOGE’s reported access to the payment system comes after the Washington Post reported on Friday that the former acting director of the Treasury, David A. Lebryk, was planning to exit the finance department of the federal government following a clash over granting DOGE access to its payment system. Lebryk oversaw the Treasury Department in the days between President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 and Bessent’s confirmation to lead the department on Jan. 27.

TOP DOGE LAWMAKER SAYS TRUMP ‘ALREADY RACKING UP WINS FOR TAXPAYERS’ WITH EFFICIENCY INITIATIVES

On Friday, reports also spread that civil servants within the Office of Personnel Management, which works as the federal government’s HR department, were reportedly locked from the office’s computer systems by DOGE.

Musk quipped on X on Saturday that working over the weekend is a “superpower,” where the “opposing team” disappear for two days.

“Very few in the bureaucracy actually work the weekend, so it’s like the opposing team just leaves the field for 2 days! Working the weekend is a superpower,” he posted.

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Trump officially created DOGE via an executive order signed on his first day in office. The EO outlines that government agency chiefs provide DOGE with access to internal government platforms such as, “software systems, and IT systems.”

“Agency Heads shall take all necessary steps, in coordination with the USDS Administrator and to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure USDS has full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems. USDS shall adhere to rigorous data protection standards,” the executive order reads.

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump and Musk had long previewed the creation of DOGE while on the campaign trail, championing that the team would weed out overspending and fraud within the federal government. DOGE is not a government department, but instead operates as a team within the Trump administration.

Before Trump’s win in November, Musk hosted the Republican president for an interview on X in August, where Musk railed against government overspending and inflation that has gripped the nation in recent years.

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk arrive to attend a viewing of the launch of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“A lot of people just don’t understand where inflation comes from. Inflation comes from government overspending because the checks never bounce when it’s written by the government. So if the government spends far more than it brings in, that increases the money supply. If the money supply increases faster than the rate of goods and services, that’s inflation,” Musk said during their conversation.

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“So really we need to reduce our government spending, and we need to re-examine… I think we need a government efficiency commission to say like, ‘Hey, where are we spending money that’s sensible. Where is it not sensible?’”

Since its official creation last month, DOGE’s X account has provided updates on its work to cut government spending, including announcing last week that it has cut more than $1 billion from federal spending through now-defunct diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and personnel.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Treasury Department on Sunday morning, but did not immediately receive replies.

February 2, 2025
New DOGE bill looks at food stamps excess payments and requires states to repay

FIRST ON FOX: The chair of the Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus is leading an effort to cut what she says is significant waste in food stamp programs.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is debuting a new bill on Wednesday designed to tackle overpayments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as “food stamps.”

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DOGE Chair Sen. Joni Ernst has already rolled out several bills to cut waste. (Getty | U.S. Department of Agriculture)

“Bureaucratic blunders are leaving billions of dollars on the table as Americans are starved to keep up with the ever-growing $36 trillion debt,” she told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“SNAP plays an essential role in helping feed families. That’s why we need to strengthen its integrity by holding states accountable for growing error rates, implementing a zero-tolerance policy, and snapping back overpayments.”

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The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act would charge states with collecting back SNAP overpayments while also requiring states to return what is owed to the federal government. The measure would further hold states accountable for their rates of errors in SNAP payment distribution in order to incentivize finance management. Ernst’s legislation would also require that every error is reported rather than only those that exceed the tolerance threshold of $54.

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Vivek Ramaswamy, left, and Elon Musk (Getty Images | AP Images)

Ernst estimated that her bill could reduce spending by about $91 billion over the next 10 years, per her office.

DOGE was previously announced by President Donald Trump, who tapped billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new advisory board looking to cut government waste.

However, it was recently confirmed that Ramaswamy is stepping back from DOGE as he plans to run for governor of Ohio.

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Trump revealed DOGE before taking office. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Shortly after Trump revealed his plan for DOGE, Republicans in the House and Senate formed caucuses by the same name to help facilitate his agenda and cut waste, bureaucracy and spending.

Ernst has already introduced several bills aligned with DOGE’s mission.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025

Tag: payments

DOGE finds nearly untraceable budget line item responsible for $4.7T in payments

Airlines ask Trump admin to end review of payments for flight disruptions

New round of Social Security payments will be made this week

Musk rips ‘fraudulent’ Treasury payments as reports mount DOGE has access to federal payment system

New DOGE bill looks at food stamps excess payments and requires states to repay