Will DOGE Make Government More Efficient - Gary Sasse

Will DOGE Make Government More Efficient - Gary Sasse

President Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce costs, improve productivity, and downsize the federal government. How DOGE conducts its business will determine if it achieves the goals the President has set out.

Eliminating government waste requires transparency and an accurate assessment of costs and benefits.  Elon Musk hoisting a chainsaw to dramatize DOGE’s efforts is hardly a way to engender confidence that DOGE will objectively weigh the impact of its proposals on the nation.

President Trump is not the first president to create an agency to recommend ways to improve government efficiency and effectiveness.

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In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt’s Committee on Administrative Management made recommendations resulting in personnel, administrative, and accounting reforms. President Truman’s Committee on Organization of the Executive Branch, headed by former President Hoover, proposed 270 ways to streamline government; and Congress enacted the Reorganization Act of 1949. Four decades later President Clinton directed Vice President Gore to lead the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. The Partnership reported that its efforts resulted in the elimination of 200 programs and 250,000 jobs.

If DOGE is to produce similar results, it must set high standards of accuracy and accountability. The Trump Administration should be prepared to address the following questions:  1) What impacts could massive layoffs have on services?  2) What controls are in place to ensure the accuracy of DOGE estimated savings?  3) What is being done to protect sensitive and confidential information?  4) How will DOGE affect the balance between executive authority and congressional power of the purse?  5) Are there contingent liabilities for legal challenges?

Currently, some say that DOGE is mired down in chaos and confusion. There have been numerous factual mistakes in its work. DOGE expunged savings from five of the largest items it initially took credit for. If appropriate due diligence was exercised this embarrassment might have been minimized. In the case of the Immigration and Customs DOGE took credit for $8 billion worth of savings. As the Guardian noted, “the entire budget of the immigration agency is about $8 billion-in fact, the cost savings should have been correctly recorded at $8 million.”

POLITICO reported contracts listed as cancelled that had not yet been awarded, contract savings did not match records in the Federal Procurement Data System, and savings were possibly double counted.

Data security concerns have surfaced over questions of DOGE’s operations. Over 20 employees resigned citing ethical concerns about compromising sensitive information.

Perhaps no area better underscores DOGE’s performance than workforce issues which have had an impact on employee morale. For example, DOGE requested federal employees to list their most recent weekly accomplishments. Those not responding were considered to have resigned. This directive caused confusion and pushback.  Several agencies advised their workers to ignore the request. This incident is emblematic of the tone of communications between Musk and federal agencies.

There have also been notable mistakes in DOGE workforce reduction efforts. In several agencies DOGE laid off essential employees who had to be immediately recalled. One example is the National Nuclear Service Administration were the abrupt termination of essential workers had to be quickly rescinded. There are other instances of DOGE proposing layoffs without fully understanding the programmatic implications.

Efforts to terminate probationary employees are being contested in the courts. Firing all probationary workers without considering their roles, responsibilities, and experience can be characterized as a meat-axe approach to personnel management.

Nobody should take exception to DOGE’s goal of right-sizing the federal government so taxpayers get a dollar’s worth of services for each dollar they pay in taxes. While data errors are unavoidable and correctable, DOGE’s errors suggest a failure to undertake effective due diligence. The work of DOGE is important but can only produce results if DOGE corrects its shortcomings and recognizes that while best business practices apply to governing, the federal government is not a business.

 

Gary Sasse served as Director of Rhode Island’s Departments of Revenue and Administration, President of RIPEC, and Director of the Hassenfeld Institute for Pubic Leadership at Bryant University.