DOGE sprouts in red states, as governors embrace the cost-cutter brand and make it their own

President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has spawned state-level DOGE initiatives as Republican governors and lawmakers aim to show that they're in step. Critics say some of these initiatives are nothing new or duplicative, while some governors are using their DOGE vehicles to target welfare programs or diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The state initiatives have a markedly different character than Trump’s slash-and-burn approach. Steve Slivinski of the libertarian Cato Institute says much of what he's seen is the same mundane stuff states routinely do to save money. Analysts at the pro-labor Economic Policy Institute say some governors and lawmakers are using DOGE agendas to consolidate power.