A black and white photo illustration of the South Carolina Statehouse as seen through a magnifying glass. (Travis Bell/State House Carolina/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)
Red states are emulating President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce the size and cost of the federal government by launching their own initiatives to make government smaller and more effective.
In the first hours of his second term, Trump issued an executive order establishing a temporary commission known as the Department of Government Efficiency. He first announced DOGE, called after a viral joke and a cryptocurrency, in November as part of billionaire Elon Musk’s campaign to uncover billions of dollars in federal cutbacks.
In recent weeks, Republican governors and legislators have formed their own government efficiency task forces and committees to identify ways to reduce state expenditure.
The Texas House of Representatives has announced plans for a 13-member Delivery of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, committee to audit state agencies for inefficiencies, and Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick stated that a DOGE bill would be one of his top legislative goals. GOP leaders in Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin have recently proposed similar initiatives.
DOGE under a different name in SC
Republicans in South Carolina presented legislation this week to establish the Commission on Fiscal Restraint and Government Efficiency, which has a different name than DOGE but the same purpose.
If the measure is approved by both GOP-supermajority chambers, the 10-member panel will have until October 1 to review agency expenditures and identify cost-cutting opportunities.
“We don’t have an Elon Musk in South Carolina, but it’ll be similar to what’s going on in Washington,” House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, told reporters Thursday.
It is unknown how much taxpayers will pay for the review. The proposal states that the ten selected commissioners will not be compensated, although they may contract with consultants or other experts as necessary.
Conservatives have long pushed to reduce the size and expenditure of the government. Officials from both parties frequently recruit outside consultants to help eliminate inefficiency or waste in school, state, and city administrations. But the DOGE initiative is gaining traction as Republicans want to align with Trump.
Many states are also facing large budget shortages, necessitating a combination of spending cuts and tax increases.
That is not an issue in fast-growing South Carolina, where unspent reserves and higher-than-expected tax collections provide legislators more than $1.65 billion more to spend in the upcoming fiscal year.
