In Madison, Wisconsin, a new initiative aiming at enhancing governmental efficiency met for the first time on Tuesday, adopting a collaborative and bipartisan approach that included contributions from Democrats and testimonies from a wide range of governmental figures. Wisconsin is among several states trying to emulate the tasks of the Department of Government Efficiency, commonly known as DOGE, a federal initiative supervised by billionaire Elon Musk. Following in line with Wisconsin, other states such as Florida, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire have similar setups but with varying degrees of authority and purpose.
The GOAT committee in the Wisconsin Assembly, standing for Government Operations, Accountability, and Transparency, has a more limited scope compared to DOGE. Unlike DOGE, which was endowed with extensive powers under the Trump presidency, the GOAT committee operates with a narrower mandate. This committee was established by Robin Vos, the Republican Assembly Speaker, and features three Democrats in its nine-member roster. However, the absence of a similar body in the state Senate poses potential hurdles in getting the committee’s recommendations passed through both legislative chambers.
Contrary to DOGE, the GOAT committee doesn’t possess the authority to dismiss state employees or drastically curtail government expenses on its own. Measures of that magnitude require full legislative approval, which consists of Republican majorities and the democratic oversight of Governor Tony Evers. With a record number of vetoes on Republican initiatives, Evers seems unlikely to endorse significant policy changes suggested by the GOAT committee.
Despite these limitations, the committee convened its inaugural meeting and gathered testimonies from several agency heads within Governor Evers’ administration. Among those who provided input were University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and Nicolet National Bank founder Bob Atwell. Republican Representative Amanda Nedweski, chairing the committee, stated they intended to meet “strong demand from the public” concerning issues such as telework, utilization of state offices, employee accountability, cybersecurity measures, and potential cost savings.
The meeting saw Nedweski maintain a focused agenda, even intervening when Republican Vice Chair Rep. Shae Sortwell started questioning educational department officials about spending related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). “We’re going to stay on topic today,” Nedweski insisted, emphasizing the committee’s main objectives.
Before the meeting, Sortwell had sent various requests for information to large cities and all counties in the state regarding DEI efforts, which prompted criticism from Democratic committee members. Reporting on these actions initially came from Wisconsin Watch. Assembly Speaker Vos mentioned the GOAT committee was created to tackle inefficiency and misconduct across state administrations, explaining that Sortwell’s inquiries were part of information gathering towards that goal.
In contrast with Wisconsin’s new committee, the DOGE initiative claims to have saved the federal government over $100 billion through aggressive strategies such as mass layoffs, cancellation of contracts, office shutdowns, and extensive budget cuts. However, the reality of these savings has been debated, with many considered overstated or unproven. Additionally, DOGE’s early undertakings during Trump’s administration resulted in over twenty lawsuits, facing judicial scrutiny for its vast cost-cutting measures, often perceived as nontransparent regarding its operations and staffing.
