As the new Department of Government Efficiency uncovers jaw-dropping levels of federal waste and corruption, state legislators are calling for a DOGE in New York. They believe Albany is rife with runaway spending, particularly as Gov. Kathy Hochul is looking to spend $19 billion more than last year in a state with the highest taxes and fees in the nation.
“We need to find out where the taxpayer money is going. All of it needs to be exposed so the public understands what’s going on,” said Senator Mario Mattera, who noted that New York spends twice as much as Florida, which has a larger population. “We need to make sure that Albany is held accountable for spending taxpayer dollars and are not wasting it on nonsense.”
Living up to his campaign promise to cut Washington spending, President Donald Trump created DOGE and put billionaire Elon Musk in charge of it. His exposure of the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. Agency for International Development alone left taxpayers wanting more. Next up on the DOGE hit list is the Pentagon, Department of Education, and the Treasury as the waste cutters slash their way through the government.
“With a $237 billion state budget, you can’t tell me there’s no waste,” said Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano. “In only a matter of weeks, the DOGE found billions in misspent federal funds, and more are found every day. We need to do the same thing in New York.”
Rather than a DOGE, Gov. Hochul has proposed an office to improve government services. A new “Office of Innovation and Efficiency” will use data-driven strategies to assess the delivery of government services and identify areas for improvement, according to Hochul spokesperson Kassie White. “The goal is to enhance service delivery, not to reduce resources or eliminate essential programs,” she said. “This effort builds on the work of the existing Office of Customer Experience, which aims to improve service delivery and ensure that every interaction with government is clear, simple, and responsive to the needs of the people we serve.”
“A DOGE for New York is an excellent idea,” exclaimed Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick. “There is bureaucratic bloat here as well. If we're going to make New York more affordable and get the tax burden under control, then a DOGE would be very helpful,” the Assemblyman said, adding: “The $36 trillion National Debt is going to be a very heavy weight around the necks of our children and grandchildren into the future. Our spending needs to be reined in because it is making the state unaffordable.”
“With New York’s budget approaching a quarter of a trillion dollars, a New York DOGE would be kept very, very busy,” said Senator Dean Murray. “There are billions of reasons why we need it.”
Senator Monica Martinez was cool to the idea, however, stating: “Arbitrary budget cuts don't create efficiencies or eliminate waste; they harm residents. Government functions best when it has the resources necessary to fulfill the important work expected of it, not when it's deprived of the personnel and budget needed to meet its core commitments, as is happening in Washington,” Martinez said.