The IG said that the six policy violations involved less than $33,000 of the $8.8 million total value of the transactions in the period. Image: Neo Arts/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA report has found misuse by IRS employees of government-issued purchase cards to be “minimal,” following an audit that identified six policy violations out of more than 13,700 purchases in the six-month period ending in March.
The IG report focuses on a topic that has drawn significant attention for years and has increased since the outset of the Trump administration and the DOGE program—under which the GSA reduced all purchase and travel cards under its contracting authority to $1 and set up a process for the GSA administrator to approve requests to increase dollar amounts on the cards.
In a review of agency data collected for a report under the Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act, the IG said that the six policy violations involved less than $33,000 of the $8.8 million total value of the transactions in the period.
Three involved spending above the “micro-purchase” transaction limits then in effect—$10,000 for goods and supplies, $2,500 for services and $2,000 for construction and alterations. Two involved split purchases—dividing a purchase above the limit into multiple transactions below the limit—and one involved a purchase of an item deemed for personal use.
In addition, six transactions, valued at less than $1,000 collectively, involved purchases without authorization of computer accessories and peripherals. The report contained no further specifics but noted that the employees “received non-disciplinary actions ranging from written counseling to closed without action.”
The report made no recommendations, saying “The IRS’s purchase card program controls are generally effective.”
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