The Truth about DOGE

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Stella

I think a primary purpose for this blog is to provide facts about, and sunlight on, the events of the day.

If you didn’t fully understand what DOGE is, this X post by Tom Renz will explain most of it. I think you will agree with me – as we have seen with so much of what the Trump administration has done this past two weeks – that the Trump team is brilliant and has thought through the best ways to accomplish their goals with as little interference from the bureaucrats and corrupt Congress critters as possible. There is interference, of course, along with a lot of pig squealing and shouting by members of Congress. I think we all know why.

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🧵🧵DOGE – A Lawyer’s Perspective on the @elonmusk @realDonaldTrump Policy Centerpiece

I inherently do not trust the media so I decided to look into DOGE myself and see what is under the hood. Initially I was quite concerned about the legality of a “new agency” created by executive order but that – just like everything else – is a lie put out by the mainstream. The order is here and the thread is below:


@VigilantFoxImage
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To understand anything the government does it’s usually best to start with the law or something else I might be able to sue over… in this case the executive order itself was the thing to see. 
As you can see this document is barely 2 pages and certainly not written in legalise. While not a complicated read – the plan was brilliant. Trump did NOT actually create a new agency. Instead what he did was repurpose an existing agency – the USDS – into something more useful.Image
The USDS was an Obamacare office created to make government software better. They were essentially software development for the bureaucracy. Trump renamed the United States Digital Service (USDS) the United States DOGE Service which even kept the acronym the same. Not only did repurposing an appropriate existing department allow Trump to ensure there was funding for DOGE without having to fight with Congress – he also ensured its legality.Image

You see Trump has power to set priorities for Executive branch departments but there are limits. In the case of DOGE, Trump clearly had a team of lawyers looking at ways to accomplish this goal legally.

USDS was already there and funded for the specific purpose. 44 USCS Chapter 36 is the law that facilitates much of USDS. It is generally about developing tech for the government. This means that focusing on efficiency and evaluating the entire government through the lens of the IT that runs it is not really substantially altering the agency – just its focus.Image

At the same time Trump also wanted to bring in @elonmusk (and at the time @VivekGRamaswamy) and his team for an initial major audit/clean sweep. To do this Trump referenced another law 5 USC 3161. This law governs the creation of and staffing for what is known as a “temporary organization” in the government. This group will focus on pushing the DOGE agenda and will exist for 18 months (though their work will survive). By including this group as temporary, Trump dodged several potential lawsuits as he may not have been able to create his own new administrative entity on a permanent basis without Congressional approval.Image
Trump also ordered that DOGE teams be hired in every administrative branch agency. These teams are to include a team lead, a lawyer, an HR person, and an engineer. These teams work for USDS (DOGE) but work with and within various agencies. While all this is part of a “software modernization initiative,” looking at the software and how things are managed is a great way to find out where there is waste – particularly when part of the mandate it to ensure efficiency.Image
The last part of the post is all important boilerplate. Trump orders all agencies to support the DOGE initiative, disclaims any other prior EOs that could interfere with this order, and makes a conflict of laws statement. This was further insulation to make this harder for political opponents to fight in court.Image
Last point. I don’t like that this has to be done and think the executive branch has far more authority than they should. That said, this order was very well done and Trump and Musk have really done a good job strategically here. Here’s to hoping these guys follow through on the MAGA/MAHA mandate that we the people have given and do everything possible to ensure the American people have the best future imaginable for our kids. 
This entry was posted in 47th President Trump, DOGE, government corruption. Bookmark the permalink.

6 Responses to The Truth about DOGE

  1. auscitizenmom's avatar auscitizenmom says:
    February 5, 2025 at 2:20 pm

    I wondered how he did this. Very smart.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  2. Reflection's avatar Reflection says:
    February 5, 2025 at 3:41 pm

    His comment, “I don’t like that this has to be done.”

    I doubt that any of us do. But that should never stop what is right and good from being done.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. Re-Farmer's avatar Re-Farmer says:
    February 5, 2025 at 5:28 pm

    Dear Lord. Once Musk is done with DOGE in 18 months, can he come to Canada and clean us up, too? He is part Canadian, after all!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  4. Lucille's avatar Lucille says:
    February 5, 2025 at 6:30 pm

    Ingenious! And the explanation is excellent. I’ve forwarded Renz’s article to my email list. Thanks! To think that our brave President likely had this all thought out before he even won the election. May God continue to bless him.

    Here’s another bit of great thinking…

    Smashing the ‘rice bowls’ — how elites are lashing out at Trump and Musk’s reforms 

    By Glenn H. Reynolds – Published Feb. 4, 2025

    Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a professor of law at the University of Tennessee and founder of the InstaPundit.com blog.

    https://nypost.com/2025/02/04/opinion/smashing-the-rice-bowls-how-elites-are-lashing-out-at-trump-and-musks-reforms/

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • Stella's avatar Stella says:
      February 5, 2025 at 7:05 pm

      Brilliant!

      But people fight hard for their livelihoods, especially when they feel entitled to begin with. (Recall that when coal miners lost their jobs due to Obama-era environmental policies, these same DC types suggested they “learn to code.”)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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