Bill to Codify Key DOGE Initiative, Effectively Eliminate Billions in Improper Payments

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Shortly after President Donald Trump's inauguration, he established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to maximize efficiency and productivity within the federal government. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate DOGE Caucus, joined caucus chairs U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and U.S. Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL-04) in introducing the DOGE in Spending Act to codify one of DOGE's practices to identify and prevent fraudulent or improper payments.

Introduction of the DOGE in Spending Act follows a recent Government Accountability Office report revealing 16 federal agencies reported an estimated $162 billion in improper payments across 68 programs in Fiscal Year 2024. The bill modernizes the U.S. Department of Treasury's payment oversight system by requiring each federal disbursement include the payment's purpose, funding source, and activity type all of which must be certified annually and publicly reported on USAspending.gov.

It also empowers the Do Not Pay system to prevent improper payments by granting the U.S. Department of Treasury real-time access to verification data across agencies.

"From the moment he took office, President Trump laid out a clear agenda: eliminate waste, reduce unnecessary spending, and restore fiscal sanity to Washington," said Cramer. "The Department of Government Efficiency has delivered-cutting through layers of bureaucracy. This agency has taken a scalpel to the federal government, slashing misspending, and eliminating fraudulent and improper payments. By codifying DOGE's best practices, we safeguard the taxpayer dollars of North Dakotans and Americans across the country."

"Requiring government to answer basic questions before spending tax dollars will save billions over the next decade," said Ernst. "Enacting safeguards to spending has been one of the Trump administration's and DOGE's greatest triumphs, and I am determined to codify it and make it permanent. At $36 trillion in debt, the cost of inaction is too high, and I will continue to lead the fight in Washington to root out waste, fraud, and abuse."

"For too long, improper and fraudulent payments have drained resources and undermined trust in government spending," said Bean. "The American people deserve responsible stewardship of their tax dollars, and this bill delivers exactly that. By ensuring federal payments are accurate, transparent, and verifiable, we are eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. This legislation takes the first critical step toward codifying DOGE efforts into law-bringing real oversight and integrity to the way taxpayer dollars are managed."

Cramer is a member of the Senate DOGE Caucus, a bicameral effort launched to advance DOGE priorities through legislation and oversight. The caucus, led by Ernst and backed by President Trump, is committed to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal bureaucracy.

Click here for bill text. Click here for a section-by-section breakdown.