A few weeks after Elon Musk waved a chainsaw at a conservative gathering touting the Department of Government Efficiency’s federal cost cutting efforts, the Texas House kicked off the first meeting for its own version of DOGE.
Leaders of the Delivery of Government Efficiency committee in the House are following in Musk’s footsteps, promising sweeping changes and reductions to the size of state government. Committee Chair Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, told The Texas Tribune that DOGE in Texas shares goals with its federal namesake in trying to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government.
“We’re going to make long-term changes in how we operate here for the state,” Capriglione said. “This is about, ‘How do we fundamentally change the way the state operates so you can do it in a much more efficient way?’” So far, Musk’s operation in the nation’s capital has fired more than 30,000 federal employees with more layoffs to come, drawing sharp pushback from Democrats and some concerns from Republicans. DOGE’s website has claimed to cut about $105 billion as of Monday, though that amount is unverifiable and is expected to be much lower.
