Lawmakers investigate federal spending on gambling, adult entertainment and more
By Casey Harper
The Center Square
The U.S. House Oversight Committee is investigating the federal government’s use of credit card and charge accounts after a review from the newly founded Department of Government Efficiency found that federal bureaucrats have at least 4.6 million charge accounts, spending $40 billion in the last fiscal year.
The lawmakers are pressing for answers about credit card spending on “adult entertainment” as well as gambling, online dating sites, babysitting, massages and more.
DOGE said earlier this month that it had deactivated over 500,000 unused or unnecessary charge accounts for federal employees.
Now, lawmakers are calling for an audit from a top federal watchdog.
“With tens of billions in taxpayer funds at stake each year, a comprehensive assessment is urgently needed to identify systemic risks, eliminate inefficiencies, and restore accountability to federal charge card programs,” House Oversight Republicans said in a letter to the Government Accountability Office.
In some cases, the accounts go unused and are unnecessary. In other cases, the spending is questionable.
“This lack of oversight is further underscored by a recent DoD Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) report, which found 7,805 transactions at ‘known high-risk merchants,’ including casino ATMs and mobile application stores,” the letter said. “The report also found 3,246 purchases made at ‘Bars Lounges, Discos, Nightclubs, and Taverns Alcoholic Drinks merchants’ during holidays or major sporting events. We are skeptical these charges were for legitimate purposes or in service of the DoD’s mission for which the cards were issued.”
The letter goes on to call for a “comprehensive review” from GAO, the latest Republican effort to increase efficiency and accountability in the federal government.
“To better understand the scope of this issue and to inform potential reforms, we request the GAO conduct a comprehensive review of the issuance and management of government purchase, travel, fleet, and integrated charge cards and accounts across federal agencies subject to the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act of 1990,” the letter said.
The Senate has shown interest as well, with Sen. Joni Ernst saying “it’s time to cut up government credit cards.”
“At $36 trillion in debt, bureaucrats cannot be allowed to swipe away and stick taxpayers with the bill,” Ernst said.