{"id":2436571,"date":"2025-05-19T16:02:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T20:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/james-comer-and-joni-ernst-urge-investigation-into-dod-card-charges\/"},"modified":"2025-05-19T16:07:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T20:07:51","slug":"james-comer-and-joni-ernst-urge-investigation-into-dod-card-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/james-comer-and-joni-ernst-urge-investigation-into-dod-card-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"James Comer and Joni Ernst urge investigation into DOD card charges"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjames-comer-and-joni-ernst-urge-investigation-into-dod-card-charges%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2436571&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Representatives James Comer (R-KY) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are calling for an examination into questionable spending on Department of Defense (DOD) charge cards,which includes substantial amounts spent at casinos and bars. They have formally requested a comprehensive review of federal charge card programs by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) following an audit that initially identified 4.6 million active cards, later reduced to 470,000. the audit also noted $40 billion in spending, which both lawmakers find concerning, especially as it includes thousands of transactions at casino ATMs and entertainment venues.<\/p>\n<p>Ernst criticized this spending as wasteful, particularly given the national debt of $36 trillion, and expressed the necessity of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >cutting excessive credit card usage<\/a> within the government.Comer echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that taxpayer dollars should not fund frivolous expenditures on non-essential services. They are asking the GAO to evaluate the systems governing the issuance of charge cards, monitoring practices, and other related issues, given that multiple reports on the charge card problem have not led to improvements within the DOD.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">James Comer and Joni Ernst urge investigation into DOD card charges, including casino spending<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2125901\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">James Comer<\/a> (R-KY) and Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joni-ernst\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Joni Ernst<\/a> (R-IA) are raising the alarm about questionable charges on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Defense<\/a> Department charge cards, including money spent at casinos.<\/p>\n<p>Comer and Ernst demanded a sweeping reform of the system and a comprehensive review of all federal charge card programs by the Government Accountability Office in a letter obtained by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3415540\/mike-lawler-salt-cap-reconciliation-bill\/\">Lawler rebuffs criticism over negotiations on reconciliation bill: &#8216;Got to be real relief for the middle class&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3415392\/trump-big-beautiful-bill-passes-house-budget-committee\/\">Republicans muscle the &#8216;big, beautiful bill&#8217; out of the Budget Committee<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3415360\/johnson-big-beautiful-bill-vehicle-trump-agenda\/\">Johnson adamant &#8216;big, beautiful bill&#8217; will serve as &#8216;vehicle&#8217; for Trump agenda<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The letter appears to be prompted by a Department of Government Efficiency <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DOGE\/status\/1912353729904513242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">audit<\/a> that revealed around 4.6 million active cards. After several weeks, that number was reduced to 470,000 cards. There has been $40 billion in spending on the cards, the pair of lawmakers wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Ernst blasted the program&rsquo;s odd spending, including more than 11,000 transactions on casino ATMs, mobile application stores, and at bars. She has been a strong DOGE advocate and created the Senate DOGE Caucus.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is indefensible for Department of Defense bureaucrats to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bad-politics-the-swamps-earmark-tab-is-already-about-21-billion\/\" title=\"\u2018Bad Politics\u2019: The Swamp\u2019s Earmark Tab Is Already About  ...ion\">waste tax dollars<\/a> at clubs, casinos, and bars, racking up charges on Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and federal holidays,&rdquo;&nbsp;Ernst said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;With Washington $36 trillion in debt, the last thing we need is bureaucrats maxing out their tab and sticking taxpayers with the bill. There should never be more credit cards than federal employees, and I&rsquo;m working to create accountability government-wide. It&rsquo;s time to cut up the plastic and put a stop to the reckless spending.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Comer and Ernst said no Pentagon officials who oversee the program &ldquo;could provide examples of analyzing purchase card spending patterns to identify cost-saving opportunities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Comer, the House Oversight Committee chairman, agreed with Ernst that officials should not be spending money on apps or at bars.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;American taxpayers shouldn&rsquo;t be stuck paying for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/omnibus-redefines-criminals-as-justice-involved-individuals\/\" title=\"Omnibus Redefines Criminals As ...Justice-Involved Individuals...\">federal bureaucrats&#038;rsquo<\/a>; splurges on government-issued credit cards,&rdquo; Comer said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/republicans-demand-probe-dods-taxpayer-funded-charges-casinos-bars-nightclubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">in a statement <\/a>to Fox News. &ldquo;Tax dollars are meant to fund essential government services, not dating apps, nightclubs, or bar tabs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The pair wrote that there have been multiple reports from the DOD on the charge card issue, &ldquo;and the problem has not improved.&rdquo; They are asking Dodaro to direct the GAO to examine multiple issues including how agencies determine who is issued charge cards, the extent agencies can monitor and address charge card issues, how much agencies spend on charge card late fees, and the guidance agencies have issued on &ldquo;split purchases&rdquo; that occur when employees divide transactions to stay under the $3,500 limit.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3315975\/doge-doing-across-federal-government\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced $5.1 billion in department cuts in April, including money for private sector firms, an IT services contract, and millions in paused funds for universities that &ldquo;tolerate antisemitism and support divisive DEI programs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon is one of DOGE&rsquo;s top priorities because of its alleged <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1863268770371772863\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">loose handle<\/a> on its funds. It has failed several audits, possibly losing track of billions of dollars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2125901\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2125901\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Comer and Ernst call for investigation into DOD card spending, including casinos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2436572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24072747670359-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[11570,3976,40726,33027],"class_list":["post-2436571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dod","tag-investigation","tag-james-comer","tag-joni-ernst"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24072747670359-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2436571"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2436575,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436571\/revisions\/2436575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2436572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2436571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2436571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2436571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}