Executive Order 14165: Establishing And Implementing The President's "Department Of Government Efficiency"

The executive order creates a new government department called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at modernizing federal technology and software to improve government productivity and efficiency. The United States Digital Service (USDS) is renamed the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and will play a central role in this initiative. The DOGE agenda, which spans 18 months, will focus on improving the quality of government software, inter-agency communication, and data management. A new "DOGE Team" will be set up in each federal agency to oversee this process, with support from engineers, human resources specialists, and attorneys. The order mandates that the USDS be granted full access to agency records and IT systems to carry out its work.

Takeaway

While the idea of modernizing federal technology is not inherently bad, the creation of a new bureaucracy to oversee this initiative is concerning. The DOGE Department could lead to additional layers of government, increasing the potential for inefficiency rather than solving it.

The proposal to give the USDS full access to sensitive agency records and IT systems raises concerns about data privacy. Despite promises to follow rigorous data protection standards, history shows that the government has often struggled with maintaining security and protecting personal data from breaches or misuse.

Additionally, increased centralization in government could lead to greater government overreach, limiting flexibility for agencies to operate independently. Rather than focusing on creating new structures and teams, efforts might be better spent on empowering individual agencies to modernize their existing systems without more top-down control.