ND North News

Shortly after President Donald Trump took office, he established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to enhance federal government productivity. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Senate DOGE Caucus member, 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. This bill aims to codify a practice from DOGE that identifies and prevents fraudulent or improper payments.

The introduction of this legislation follows a Government Accountability Office report showing 16 federal agencies reported an estimated $162 billion in improper payments across 68 programs in Fiscal Year 2024. The proposed bill seeks to modernize the U.S. Department of Treasury’s payment oversight system by requiring each federal disbursement to include details such as the payment's purpose, funding source, and activity type, all of which must be certified annually and publicly reported on USAspending.gov.

Additionally, the bill would empower the Do Not Pay system by providing the U.S. Department of Treasury with real-time access to verification data across agencies to prevent improper payments.

Senator Cramer stated: “From the moment he took office, President Trump laid out a clear agenda: eliminate waste, reduce unnecessary spending, and restore fiscal sanity to Washington.” He emphasized that codifying DOGE’s best practices would safeguard taxpayer dollars nationwide.

Senator Ernst added: “Requiring government to answer basic questions before spending tax dollars will save billions over the next decade,” highlighting that enacting safeguards has been one of Trump's administration's significant achievements.

Representative Bean commented: “For too long, improper and fraudulent payments have drained resources and undermined trust in government spending.” He asserted that this bill ensures responsible stewardship of taxpayer money by making federal payments accurate, transparent, and verifiable.

Cramer is part of the Senate DOGE Caucus—a bicameral initiative led by Ernst and supported by President Trump—to advance DOGE priorities through legislation and oversight aimed at eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse within federal operations.