Texas' DOGE committee takes inspiration from Elon Musk's federal operation
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 share's 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.
Asked about statewide layoffs, Capriglione said the committee 'doesn't have the authority to go and terminate employees,' though members may recommend funding reductions to agencies that yield staffing cuts.
Democrats on the committee say they're optimistic about the opportunity to find inefficiencies, but are wary of their colleagues trying to emulate the rapidfire layoffs and cuts happening at the federal level. What Musk's DOGE has done is 'completely terrifying,' and is putting the health and safety of millions of Americans at risk, said Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, one of the five Democrats on the committee. She doesn't want Texas to replicate what DOGE is doing in Washington, D.C.
'I would be the fiercest fighter against that, because what they're doing at the federal level is just outrageous and the consequences are going to be harmful for decades,' said Rodríguez Ramos, who is the chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus.
DOGE committee Vice Chair Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, said during DOGE's first hearing Wednesday that the committee must avoid 'partisan rhetoric.' He said that unlike Congress, members of the Texas legislature work in a bipartisan manner and he expects that will be the case with the state's version of DOGE.
'Texas can lead the way with responsible and efficient government,' Bhojani said during the hearing. 'But let me be clear, my focus is not about cutting essential services or devaluing hardworking public servants. I'm here to work with you, not against you, to improve how we serve Texans.'
Some of Musk's efforts with DOGE have sparked chaos in federal agencies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently fired some employees who were working to address bird flu, only to since request those employees come back. The Trump administration has also had to reverse the layoffs of hundreds of federal employees who work on the nation's nuclear weapons programs.
As a legislative committee, there's a 'fundamental difference' between what the Texas and federal versions of DOGE are capable of doing, Capriglione said. Rather than focusing on public staffing cuts, in its early days, committee leaders will focus on finding areas to recommend for modernizing outdated state technology systems and auditing government agencies.
According to the House resolution that created Texas' DOGE, the committee's jurisdiction includes topics like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and 'emerging technology.' The committee will also likely hear bills on similar topics, Capriglione said. So far, 27 bills have been referred to the committee, including proposals related to auditing state agencies and increasing government pay transparency.
He added that Texas' DOGE aims to be a 'one-stop shop' for Texans to bring forward their grievances about state government services. In an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News published last week, Capriglione said that reducing government spending is a 'central part of [his] political career.'
'This committee will operate with precision,' Capriglione said during Wednesday's hearing. 'At times, we will use a scalpel, carefully dissecting inefficiencies to make government work smarter. At other times, we will wield a sledgehammer, tearing down systemic waste and corruption that may have gone unchallenged.'
The committee has 13 members, including Capriglione, with eight Republicans and five Democrats. Like other committees, DOGE will hear public testimony on proposed legislation and vote those bills out of committee so they can receive a vote on the House floor.
Texas isn't the only state that has followed in the federal government's footsteps by creating its own DOGE. Some other Republican-led states, including Florida and Iowa, have created their own versions, with some in the form of legislative committees and others created as additional government divisions.
Rep. David Cook, a Mansfield Republican, said the bipartisan nature of the committee and its inclusion of elected officials represent the biggest difference between the Texas DOGE and the Washington, D.C. operation. But he added that the 'goals will be similar' between the two.
'This is an example of where the federal government came up with a really good idea,' Cook said. '[Texans] want their government to be efficient and implement good, common sense policies.'
Texas already has another legislative commission that is responsible for reviewing waste and inefficiency in state government. The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission — made up of two members of the public, and five members of the House and Senate alike — has abolished 95 state agencies since its inception in 1977. According to the commission's website, it will review about 130 agencies over the next 12 years.
Poncho Nevárez, a former Democratic state representative and past member of the commission, said since the Sunset Advisory Commission does not review each agency every legislative session, the DOGE committee could help fill that gap. If an agency is not scheduled to be reviewed by the commission during a particular session, then the DOGE committee might have the ability to look into that agency, he added. But Nevárez is still wary that the Texas DOGE will try to 'slash and burn' funding like Musk is doing in Washington.
He noted the irony of Republicans railing about waste when they have had control of every statewide office and the Legislature for decades. The last time a Democrat won statewide office in Texas was 1994.
'Well shit, who's been running that government for almost 30 years?' Nevárez said. 'They act like all of these agencies have been running on their own. But all those are Republican appointees.'
We can't wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more.
Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025.
TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
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