State-level DOGE work gathers speed

Oklahoma’s new government efficiency unit issued a report on what it has found to cut, while Iowa’s first-in-the-nation effort held its inaugural meeting. But experts say efficiency isn’t just about cutting spending.

State efforts to establish their own Departments of Government Efficiency modeled after the federal DOGE are beginning to make more significant strides to slash spending, workers and real estate.

Oklahoma’s DOGE issued a report early this month that said it had identified over $157 million in federal health grants that are “duplicative, underutilized, or exceed actual need.” It also outlined several strategies to reduce the state’s government workforce from 31,664, and emphasized the work underway in reducing waste and fraud in the state’s procurement process.

DOGE-OK, as the task force is known, also reviewed property the state owns and leases to find underutilized and vacant spaces. It will next analyze whether ...