SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Rep. John Cabello, R-Ill., has introduced legislation to establish an Illinois Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to oversee and audit the state’s spending.
Cabello’s proposed HB1266 would be similar to the federal government agency led by Elon Musk in that it would eliminate unnecessary or redundant Illinois laws, administrative rules, and state agencies.
“During my time in the State Assembly, I’ve seen our budget simply explode.” And it’s time to put that federal idea into action here in the state,” Cabello said Saturday on “NewsNation Prime.”
According to Cabello’s proposal, the Illinois DOGE would be established under the existing auditor general’s office and led by a board of directors appointed by the General Assembly, which would include two Democrats and two Republicans.
The agency would be able to hire members who are experts in specific fields or have specific experience and would serve without receiving taxpayer compensation.
Cabello contends that his proposal would bring Illinois closer to achieving a truly balanced budget, which the state has not seen since 2002.
He believes that requiring employees to return to in-person work will improve service and efficiency. While some critics worry that workforce reductions will slow government operations, Cabello insists that accountability and efficiency should come first.
Illinois is one of more than a dozen states suing the Trump administration over the federal DOGE agency, which granted it access to Treasury Department data.
A federal judge has ordered that two Musk allies have “read-only” access to Treasury Department payment systems, but no one else, including Musk, will have access for the time being.
The ruling comes as part of a lawsuit filed by federal workers unions to prevent the billionaire’s DOGE from carrying out what they call a massive privacy invasion.
President Donald Trump asked Musk, the world’s richest man, to reduce the size of the United States government.
