Texas House wants to form DOGE committee to research governmental efficiency
AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas House of Representatives is set to vote on House rules Thursday and among the considerations is to form a DOGE committee that would analyze the efficiencies in the state government.
What we know:
The Delivery of Government Efficiency committee would have 13 members to look into the organization and operations of state agencies, advisory committees and departments with the goal of eliminating "inefficiencies."
Among the areas the committee would tackle: open records and meetings, the use of scientific and technological advances, the use of artificial intelligence and the state's cooperation with colleges and universities, private businesses and the federal government.
The committee would look into claims of fraud, waste and abuse of state programs and "recommend appropriate legislation" or other ways to eliminate what they believe is fraud or waste and "promote the modernization and economically efficient administration of those programs and operations."
Members would monitor the Department of Information Resources, the Sunset Advisory Commission and the Texas Space Commission.
What we don't know:
The committee's members and their actual processes for determining if another committee or department is operating efficiently have not been revealed.
It also remains to be seen how the committee approaches the use of artificial intelligence. The House rules say the committee would be responsible for the implementation of technology in health care, security and transportation and ensuring the cooperation between the government and private businesses.
The state budget
Even without the creation of DOGE, the state government is already working to make cuts to the budget.
In the Texas Senate on Wednesday, Senate Bill 1 was filed which sets the 2026-2027 budget at $332.9 billion, which is a decrease of $55.3 million.
The state budget combines state and federal funds.
The state's contribution to the budget is $234.4 billion, which is a $9.7 billion increase.
Department of Government Efficiency
US President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in the Oval Office of the WHite House in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/POOL/AFP vi
The backstory:
On Monday, President Donald Trump established a federal agency with a similar function through an executive order.
Trump's order renames and reorganizes the current United States Digital Service to the Department of Governmental Efficiency to "implement the President's DOGE agenda." The renamed organization is now part of the Executive Office of the President.
A visit to the agency's doge.gov website leads users to a page that says "the people voted for major reform."
The agency was originally headed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to cut billions from the federal budget.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the filed Texas House rules, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Associated Press.