Ohio Republicans form own version of DOGE ...Middle East

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio now has its very own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).  

Kind of.

Ohio Republican House members created an Ohio House DOGE caucus earlier this month. It is not a new department, unlike Elon Musk’s efforts in Washington, DC; instead, it is a group of lawmakers who will meet “minimum monthly,” according to Rep. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville), the caucus’ vice chairman. 

 Ohio House Republicans were invited to be part of the caucus via email. The email reads, “The goal of this caucus is not to capture headlines and score political points; we intent to create a working group of like-minded, principled members to exchange ideas and produce good legislation.”    

Members who wanted to join were able to under the condition that they will “pledge” to introduce at least one bill each year that:  

Ferguson said the goal is to make effective legislative fixes to bugs in state government. He said fixes by rules and regulations from the executive branch are great but can too easily be undone by a new administration.

“Federally, Elon Musk has no authority to do anything by law,” Ferguson said. “He can only do so much as what’s in the executive branch. We are looking to actually make legislative changes in the spirit of DOGE, and that's the real difference, is to take legislative action, laws to better operate, not purely executive decisions.” 

There are about two dozen members in the caucus, which has met three times. Once in person, once virtually, and once with Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber, at his request, according to Ferguson. 

“Our role is really to be a support of the DOGE caucus,” Faber said. 

Faber said his office does two main things. First, he and his team find things that are “waste, fraud and abuse,” similar to Musk in D.C. he said. 

“The waste, fraud and abuse side of our operation is where we find people who are lying, stealing and cheating or doing things that is not in a proper public purpose,” he said.   

Second, his office helps other government departments and entities run more smoothly.

“The other thing we do that DOGE in D.C. has not yet got to, but hopefully they will, is we find ways to do government jobs, things that government should be doing better, faster, cheaper,” Faber said.  

So given his job description, does he think the new DOGE caucus is redundant?   

“Absolutely not,” Faber said. “I think the legislature needs to frankly strengthen their oversight role and, candidly, one of the benefits that the state legislature has over Congress is they're not as dysfunctional as DC.” 

Faber said his team will continue to work with state lawmakers, not just the DOGE caucus, as they have “for generations.” He said in some instances, he may still go straight to the source, for example, the House or Senate finance chair, with proposals and questions, instead of DOGE caucus members. 

“[DOGE caucus members] are going to deploy and educate members across the platform,” Faber said. “I don't think they're going to necessarily be making decisions. They're trying to formulate a policy to talk about how decisions could be made in the future.”  

Faber added that most legislative caucuses like the DOGE one “are for sharing ideas.” He said the more legislation that helps things run smoother, the better.

As far as the effectiveness of the caucus goes, Faber said he thinks, “The process of empowering the legislature to have meaningful oversight is priceless.” He said this is something that a lot of people have been asking for, as far back as 2012.  

“I think it magnifies our role,” Faber said. “I think it enhances our role. We certainly want to work with them cooperatively. We will meet with them at their request as they need. We will continue to be a resource.” 

How do other leaders feel about the caucus? Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said, “We can always do better, we can always find efficiencies” and said he welcomes those who want to try. 

When asked if he thinks it is a good use of time, DeWine said, “I think it’s always something that we can, you know, find things…we’ll see.”    

The Ohio Senate does not have any involvement in this caucus, but Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said he welcomes the idea. 

“I believe we can always look for more efficiencies in government,” he said. “And certainly, if members of the House and/or the Senate want to take a deeper look at how we can become more efficient and how we can increase cost savings in government, I think there's nothing but good that can come from that.” 

Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said she fully supports “being more efficient and effective with our dollars.” 

“That's our duty as elected officials, to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollar,” she said. “Republicans have had control of the state for three decades and the sudden interest in efficiency, in cutting government waste, this has been a Republican-controlled state. So, my only question is what took them so long to care about this issue?” 

Caucuses typically meet behind closed doors to discuss ideas and legislation; they do not take any votes on bills in those closed-door meetings. 

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Ohio Republicans form own version of DOGE )

Also on site :

• Exactly How Many Times a Week To Walk To Improve Your Heart Health, According to Cardiologists
• Los Angeles unrest: Is Trump allowed to deploy National Guard troops?
• Olivia Rodrigo Sends Fans Into ‘Fever Dream’ Twinning With ‘80s Icon, 73, Onstage: ‘Such an Unexpected Duo’