“… A Feb. 26
executive order directing the 30-day spending pause, with exceptions for “critical services,” cast the measure as an effort to ensure that “employees are accountable to the American public.”
As a result of the move, government scientists who study food safety say they are running out of cleaning fluid for their labs; federal aviation workers report cuts to travel for urgent work; and contractors who help identify U.S. soldiers killed in combat were told to pause their efforts, said three forensic genealogists who, like other workers interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
Musk has turned to the cards alongside contracts and workforce cuts to help slash a promised
$2 trillion from the federal budget — a feat that experts say is impossible without drastic changes to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
The card purchases accounted for roughly $40 billion in the last budget year, according to the General Services Administration, which oversees the program.
And while independent watchdogs such as the Government Accountability Office have for years scrutinized government card purchases — and uncovered transactions that violated strict rules or lacked documentation — the challenges amount to a fraction of overall spending.
… A Trump administration official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly said the effort was about strengthening oversight of how the government does business.
“If there are temporary disruptions, we will make sure those are not permanent or not hurtful,” the official said.
… When the National Park Service last month told staff their travel and purchase card limits would be set to $1 the next day, the email, reviewed by The Post, sent workers into a “tailspin,” said an employee.
The employee reported immediate disruption across the region as the limit radically altered daily operations, grinding shipping to a halt and preventing the delivery of entry passes scheduled to arrive at various parks ahead of the summer season. Staffers could not buy medicine and supplies needed to care for visitors and the horses ridden by some park rangers, the employee said, adding that the pause was poised to imperil monthly subscriptions and services vital to park operations.
… At the Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, the card reduction means workers cannot place orders for lab supplies, including personal protective equipment and ethanol used to disinfect surfaces, according to several employees. Some labs in close proximity have started sharing reagents to make them last longer, “but it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to work,” one employee said, “which I fear is the point.” …”
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