State DOGEs tackle local spending, property taxes
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By
Chris Teale
Florida’s has asked for line-by-line accounting of its local governments’ spending and any evidence of financial distress. Iowa appears to be targeting local taxation.
Federal funding cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency continue to worry state leaders as they ponder the impact on their budgets and services, especially with more cuts potentially on the horizon.
Governors raised concerns about cuts to Medicaid in March as part of President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill, which passed last week. Meanwhile, DOGE has brought thousands of job losses across the country, and state leaders believe they won’t be able to fill in the gaps.
“The governors ultimately need to be standing up for when it's cuts to money and programs, showing what the impact will be in their states,” former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said during a recent event hosted by the Pew Charitable Trusts. “If we're losing federal park rangers, it's not like the state's going to fill that hole. Your lines at Glacier and Yellowstone [National Parks] are going to be a heck of a lot longer. A lot of this, 155 days in, are still abstract … but once it's really impacting people's lives and services that much more, I think we're going to hear a lot more from folks.”
While the impacts of federal cuts will continue to be felt, state-level DOGE cuts and initiatives are also hitting some parts of the country, albeit with far less publicity than the federal ones, but with just as much impact. Iowa was the first to float its own DOGE, followed by several other states, including Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and others. Jacksonville has established a DOGE at the city level.
Florida’s DOGE has been one of the most visible. Established by a Gov. Ron DeSantis executive order in February, its aims were to further reduce government “waste,” save taxpayers money and “ensure accountability” in Florida. One month after founding the state’s DOGE, DeSantis urged Florida’s cities and counties to work with officials voluntarily to “review local spending and financial practices.”
The organization quickly sent letters to the state’s local governments pledging to use “advanced technology to identify, review and report on unnecessary spending within county and municipal governments” and recommend legislative reforms. Florida DOGE asked local governments for information on whether they had failed to make payments on various loans or debts, failed to transfer tax, Social Security or retirement contributions, or otherwise any situations that might indicate “financial distress.”
The Florida DOGE later said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that it had received “proactive outreach and public commitments” from more than 65 counties and cities in the state.
And it followed up with another letter in May asking for much more detail from local governments, including budget line items, employee job descriptions and salaries, contracts, grants, hours worked and service delivery measurement. DOGE said in its letter the details would help it better understand “the programs, budgets and spending” in each entity.
Separately, Florida’s DOGE has amassed new powers through the state budget bill, including the ability to review local government budgets, and has upped its scrutiny of higher education spending in the state. Critics have argued it is a “Trojan horse” for DeSantis to target his political foes and cut services.
It’s a similar story in Iowa, where that state’s DOGE appears to be targeting property taxes and reducing the tax burden on residents. Terry Lutz, the chair of DOGE’s subcommittee on return on taxpayer investment, told KCCI that they “do not intend to nibble around the edges,” and instead “hope to make bold recommendations to move the needle of efficiency in our government.”
And Oklahoma estimates it has already saved state taxpayers more than $65 million through what officials described as “strategic modernization and collaboration with state agencies.” That has included, for example, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services reevaluating its use of mobile devices and reducing its number from more than 700 to 550.
Another agency, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, has ended contracts for 40 Wi-Fi hotspots, while the Oklahoma Department of Transportation is consolidating maintenance yards and crews in an effort it said could save up to $5 million per facility.
“Every week, DOGE-OK demonstrates that Oklahoma is committed to smarter government,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement. “We’re focused on reducing waste, investing in efficiency, and delivering better services to Oklahomans without raising costs.”