I was fully behind the idea of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Especially when it was reported to be headed by Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk. I was a supporter of Ramaswamy’s ideas of culling entire departments within the federal government and slashing regulations like never before. I thought the team of Ramaswamy, who has novel legal ideas to accomplish this, and Musk, who is well known to cut through inefficiencies in business and engineering, would work to make quick work of dismantling a good portion of the federal bureaucracy.
Boy was I wrong. Instead DOGE was co-opted by the bureaucracy itself. I suspect this is a big reason why Ramaswamy has stepped down from the effort and chose to perhaps focus on a gubernatorial run in Ohio.
In reading over the executive order as it’s presented on the White House’s web site it is clear to me that what I had hoped for will never happen.
Let’s start with Section 1. The purpose of this department is only to modernize technology and software to maximize efficiency and productivity. Nowhere in its stated purpose is the part of eliminating stifling regulation, eliminating entire agencies, or the mass firing of federal workers that really don’t serve a purpose.
Section 1. Purpose. This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.
Then there’s Section 3(a). DOGE is nothing more than the renaming of an existing agency within the U.S. government. They’re renaming the United States Digital Service to United States DOGE Service. I assume they did this so they can save money on stationery. Anything labeled USDS can remain. Big deal.
Sec. 3. DOGE Structure. (a) Reorganization and Renaming of the United States Digital Service. The United States Digital Service is hereby publicly renamed as the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and shall be established in the Executive Office of the President.
With Section 3(b) DOGE creates its own bureaucracy within the bureaucracy. A “temporary” organization within USDS will be dedicated to advancing Trump’s 18-month agenda and shall terminate on July 4, 2026. Has any department or agency been temporary? What’s the over/under on this temporary organization either getting a long extension or becoming permanent?
(b) Establishment of a Temporary Organization. There shall be a USDS Administrator established in the Executive Office of the President who shall report to the White House Chief of Staff. There is further established within USDS, in accordance with section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, a temporary organization known as “the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization”. The U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization shall be headed by the USDS Administrator and shall be dedicated to advancing the President’s 18-month DOGE agenda. The U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization shall terminate on July 4, 2026. The termination of the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization shall not be interpreted to imply the termination, attenuation, or amendment of any other authority or provision of this order.
Section 3(c) establishes teams of expensive engineers, HR specialists, attorneys, and a Team Lead. This section says each team will consist of “at least four employees”, which means many of these teams will have many more than four and they will be paid because they’re employees.
(c) DOGE Teams. In consultation with USDS, each Agency Head shall establish within their respective Agencies a DOGE Team of at least four employees, which may include Special Government Employees, hired or assigned within thirty days of the date of this Order. Agency Heads shall select the DOGE Team members in consultation with the USDS Administrator. Each DOGE Team will typically include one DOGE Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney.
So that’s it. That’s the nuts and bolts of this so-called government efficiency department. Sure, it’s great if they can modernize the technology and systems within agencies. But that’s not the same as eliminating entire departments and agencies within the government. All this does is expand one.
This is an epic fail.
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