A Group of Republican Lawmakers Push to Codify Treasury Reforms
A group of Republican lawmakers is working to make some of the key reforms implemented at the Treasury Department by President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) permanent through new legislation.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) are leading the effort along with over a dozen other lawmakers to pass the Delivering On Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Spending Act. This bill aims to enshrine requirements for the Treasury Department to ensure that all payments have proper descriptions in its system, with the goal of reducing improper payments which amounted to at least $162 billion last fiscal year, according to the US Government Accountability Office.
“Requiring government to answer basic questions before spending tax dollars will save billions over the next decade,” said Sen. Ernst in a statement.
Ernst is joined by several other senators in introducing the bill, while Bean is leading the effort in the House of Representatives. The legislation aims to bring oversight and integrity to the management of taxpayer dollars, inspired by early actions taken by DOGE at the Treasury Department.
If passed, the bill would require the Treasury Department to ensure that payments are properly described, cross-checked with government databases, linked to approved budget accounts, and updated on USAspending.gov. The goal is to provide accurate and up-to-date information through the Treasury’s Do Not Pay (DNP) system.
The legislation would also grant the DNP system access to additional data sources to prevent fraud and ensure accountability in government spending. Lawmakers supporting the bill emphasize the need to track every tax dollar spent and prevent wasteful spending.
With the Treasury Department handling about 95% of federal payments, the bill seeks to build on reforms initiated by the Trump administration to combat fraud and ensure proper verification of payments.
