In a recent executive order, President Donald Trump has expanded the role of the DOGE team within federal agencies, outlining specific responsibilities aimed at enhancing oversight of government spending. This order builds upon a previous directive issued on the first day of Trump's administration, which established the DOGE task force and mandated that each federal agency create a DOGE team.
The new order specifies that DOGE teams, which will typically consist of a Team Lead, an engineer, a human resources specialist, and an attorney, are expected to work closely with agency leadership on various tasks. Among these responsibilities are the establishment of a tracking system for all contract and grant payments, requiring a written justification for each transaction. Additionally, agencies are instructed to review current contracts and grants with the intent to terminate or modify them to optimize spending, particularly focusing on agreements with educational institutions and foreign entities.
Other key directives include the implementation of a system to monitor employees' travel requests, necessitating justifications for non-essential travel, and a freeze on employee credit card transactions for one month, with exceptions for disaster-related expenses. Agencies must also compile an inventory of federal property and develop plans for disposing of unneeded assets.
Notably, the executive order exempts certain entities, including law enforcement and immigration enforcement agencies, from its stipulations. While the order was initially posted on the White House's website, it was removed the following day, and the White House has not provided an explanation for this action. This initiative is part of Trump's broader objective to reduce the size of the federal workforce and cut government expenses, a move that has sparked considerable controversy and numerous legal challenges.