Bringing DOGE To NJ Proposed By Lawmakers

NEW JERSEY — Several Republican lawmakers have pitched New Jersey's own version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, as they say state spending has become out of control.

President Donald Trump’s adviser Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has deployed his DOGE task force to cut spending a number of government agencies in recent days — sidelining career officials, gaining access to sensitive databases, and dismantling a leading source of humanitarian assistance in the process.

The rapid changes, which are happening without congressional approval, have raised alarm among Democrats and government employees. On Monday, federal employee unions sued the U.S. Treasury Department to stop Musk's team from accessing a critical government payment system, saying that sharing so much sensitive data is a "massive and unprecedented" invasion of privacy.

But the South African billionaire's mission to cut down the federal government's size and budget is one that two New Jersey lawmakers say should be emulated at the state level.

Assemblymembers Alex Sauickie (R-Ocean) and Christopher DePhillips (R-Bergen) have introduced legislation that would bring a version of DOGE to New Jersey, with the task of determining “how to better save public funds and how to implement greater efficiencies in government functions.”

The proposed New Jersey Delegation on Government Efficiency would be under the state auditor's office, and include up to 20 members of the public.

Sauickie and DePhillips pointed to how the state budget grew to a record-setting $56.6 billion in 2025.

“Taxpayers want accountability for how their hard-earned money is spent," DePhillips said. "And they do not want to read about the waste after the budget is already passed and signed.”

State spending has increased by more than 60 percent since Murphy took office in 2018, with more money allocated to the public worker pension system, the state's school funding formula, and the ANCHOR property tax relief program. The state is also expected to end this fiscal year at a $6 billion surplus.

But with federal pandemic funding running out and tax revenue not keeping pace with spending, the state may have to dip into those reserves to support the budget. Republican lawmakers and state policy analysts have also warned that New Jersey is headed for a "fiscal cliff" as annual budgets have swelled.

"Government spending has grown into a monster that taxpayers can’t afford to keep feeding," Sauickie said.

GOP governors and lawmakers in other states have said they will set up their own government efficiency commissions, as well.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.