The
Defense Department
According to recent memos, civilian staff members have been effectively prohibited from traveling or using public funds for purchases.
The spending cap on government-provided travel and procurement cards for federal civilian workers was lowered to $1, as stated in guidelines published online.
Defense Department’s
website.
According to the memo, “DoD civilian staff are required to cancel all upcoming official travel arrangements that are not exempt, and individuals who are currently on non-exempt travel should return to their respective primary duty locations at the earliest convenience.”
Travel by civilian employees that directly supports
military operations
Or a permanent alteration in station is excluded, as per one memorandum.
HEGSETH ORDERS DOD CIVILIAN STAFF TO FOLLOW MUSK’S DOGE-INSPIRED PRODUCTIVITY EMAIL
A similar memorandum efficiently blocked civilian credit cards for purchases ranging from office supplies to items costing as much as $10,000.
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It followed a February 26 executive directive issued by
President Donald Trump
This triggered the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) initiatives aimed at reducing costs by making “public servants answerable to citizens.” The measure required organizations to provide justifications for travel expenses related to their staff.
“As soon as an agency’s system is established, the head of the agency must prevent employees from participating in federally financed trips for conferences or similar non-essential activities unless the individual authorized to approve travel provides a concise, written rationale for the federal funding of the trip through this system,” the directive specified.
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This directive mandated that government credit cards should be suspended for thirty days, with an exception for transactions related to “disaster aid or emergency responses linked to natural disasters,” along with other essential services deemed crucial by the head of the respective agency.
As part of new measures, the Pentagon is terminating employment for 5,400 civilian workers who have not yet completed their probationary phase and has also implemented a hiring embargo aimed at decreasing its 764,000-strong civil staff complement by 5-8%.
According to Chief Spokesperson Sean Parnell, The Pentagon, working alongside DOGE, pinpointed an initial $80 million in unnecessary expenditures. A majority of these funds were linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs as well as environmental sustainability efforts.
Although it represents only a minor portion of the agency’s $840 billion budget, initiatives related to DOGE have only started recently. Last week, the Pentagon launched an examination of its procurement processes and required various departments to develop a unified platform for managing contracts, grants, and other financial outlays.
“Our team and I are currently undertaking this assessment to identify areas where we can enhance efficiency in order to conserve funds for American taxpayers during the execution of contracting activities aimed at supporting our country’s national defense,” stated John Tenaglia, the Pentagon’s principal director of defense pricing, contracting, and acquisition policy, in a recent memorandum.
As stated in the Executive Order,Components are instructed to refrain from appointing new contracting officer warrants toDoD civilian personnel until March 28, 2025, which marks the end of the review period.
Original article source:
The Pentagon has reduced credit card limits for civilian staff consistent with the DOGE budget reductions.
