Go Figure
Cutting people in agencies is starting to force them to improve their use of technology.
Some Federal Agencies Are Actually Getting More Efficient
The DOGE job cuts at agencies are forcing at least some of them to get more creative in using technology.
Did agency staffing bloat delay or impair the adoption of technology solutions for the efficiencies they would bring?
‘Downsizing is clearly forcing agencies to think more creatively and to explore new ideas for increasing efficiency and cutting costs.’
This is the guy federal civil servants should fear. He knows how the machine works, he’s politically savvy, he has unlimited political capital, he has a solid team behind him, and he is very, very smart.
‘Whereas Musk bulldozed through bureaucracy and largely ignored Capitol Hill, Vought relies on a different playbook: pushing change through institutional channels, backroom conversations, and contingency planning. That sort of meticulousness and deep understanding of government has inspired fear among federal workers as he strengthens presidential authority to dismantle large parts of the federal bureaucracy, underscoring that unlike Musk, Vought actually knows how to get things done.’
DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool to “Munch” Veterans Affairs Contracts
This smells like cherry-picking, but who knows?
‘ProPublica obtained the code and the contracts it flagged from a source and shared them with a half dozen AI and procurement experts. All said the script was flawed. Many criticized the concept of using AI to guide budgetary cuts at the VA, with one calling it “deeply problematic.”
‘Cary Coglianese, professor of law and of political science at the University of Pennsylvania who studies the governmental use and regulation of artificial intelligence, said he was troubled by the use of these general-purpose large language models, or LLMs. “I don’t think off-the-shelf LLMs have a great deal of reliability for something as complex and involved as this,” he said.’
Civic tech leaders worry DOGE is ‘tarnishing’ its tools to improve government
Musk was a bull in a china shop. This works in Silicon Valley. It works in the private sector. But the people in the so-called civic tech movement, made up of organizations and individuals within various levels of government focused on improving technology from within, aren’t happy.
The civic tech movement was itself a political failure. If it had succeeded, it would have been far more difficult to make the case for the establishment of DOGE.
The civic tech movement seems to exist in a political vacuum. Deficits and debts are exploding. The efficiency of government activity seems to be imploding. People are unhappy. If this were a company, it would be in very real trouble. Asking the management team that ran a great brand into the ground for what they think of the new marketing approach to try to resuscitate it ignores the reality of the decline in performance that led to the drastic measures in the first place.
‘“The fact that modernization is a thing people talk about — that part is good,” Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code for America, said of DOGE during an interview with Nextgov/FCW at the civic tech nonprofit’s annual conference in May.
‘But “right now, my worry is that the general public sees modernization as firing people and doing it in a super cruel way,” said Renteria. “I think we all wish we would’ve told our stories about what this work has been.”’
State DOGEs’ next frontiers could preempt local authority
As efficiency becomes the watchword, states look to seize power from local governments.
‘But one group has warned that state-level DOGEs are already taking on a new dimension: state preemption of local laws and powers, in the name of government efficiency. And they say the effort represents a dangerous new frontier in the constant push and pull between state governments and their localities.’
Social Security Chief Says Musk’s DOGE Figures Heavily in Agency’s Plans
We may be insufficiently cynical about how primitive technology is within the US government.
I think it’s a fair argument to make that some Third World countries have more advanced digital government services than the US. India has made fantastic progress, for example.
‘In a recent interview, agency head Frank Bisignano said he plans to deploy DOGE staffers to help Social Security personnel revamp customer service to rely more heavily on technology and artificial intelligence. “I look at them as a resource to help me,” said Bisignano, who has described himself as “fundamentally a DOGE person.”
‘Bisignano, who was sworn in on May 7, says he wants to make Social Security “a digital-first organization,” where people can more easily do simple tasks like replacing their Social Security card without human interaction, freeing up agency resources for other tasks. People who want to talk to a real person would still be able to, he said.’
Former comptroller-general of the United States argues in favor of a bipartisan DOGE made up of people who understand the legislative process.
‘The federal government has grown too big, promised too much, subsidized too many, lost control of the budget, and undercut states’ rights. It lacks a future-focused, resource-constrained and outcome-oriented framework to guide its actions and assess its performance. As a result, it’s accumulating mountains of debt while failing to achieve basic objectives.
‘DOGE in phase two should be more transparent and constructive than what we saw in phase one. The review should be led by a person or team with bipartisan credibility and a record of successfully reforming government. With this new strategy, DOGE could achieve dramatic reductions in spending, improve government performance and boost accountability. Although Mr. Musk has left DOGE, much work remains. American taxpayers deserve no less.’