Politics
An Illinois DOGE? Republican State Lawmaker’s Proposal Would Create New Department
Video: Joining “Chicago Tonight” to discuss his proposal for the Illinois Department of Government Efficiency is state Rep. John Cabello (R-Rockford). (Produced by Shelby Hawkins)
As Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team muscle through Washington, D.C., on a mission to cut spending — shredding the federal workforce, putting “for sale” signs on federal real estate and deleting agencies wholesale — a Republican state legislator said Illinois could take a cue.
“It (DOGE) is the new cool thing,” state Rep. John Cabello (R-Rockford) said. “Sometimes we don’t have those good ideas; we need to borrow them.”
That’s why Cabello said he introduced a proposal (House Bill 1266) creating the Illinois Department of Government Efficiency.
A Democratic chair of a House appropriations committee called the creation of a new department a “waste of taxpayer money.”
Unlike President Donald Trump, Cabello doesn’t call for bringing in outsiders to comb through state budgets and spending.
The Illinois DOGE would be established under the existing office of the auditor general — a constitutional officer, Frank Mautino, appointed by the legislature, tasked with reviewing the use of state funds.
A DOGE board would consist of the auditor general or designee and four directors appointed by the two Democratic and two Republican leaders of the General Assembly — making it a bipartisan group, Cabello said.
The directors would not be paid, and Cabello said they could be legislators.
The board, per the bill, would “serve as an advisory and consulting organization to provide recommendations or strategies for State leaders” on cost savings and reductions.
“They’re supposed to try and find the efficiencies,” Cabello said. “I’m trying to save the taxpayers money.”
Cabello said there is “duplication of services everywhere” in state government. “Jeez Louise, how many agencies do we have that do the same thing?”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who celebrates Illinois getting nine credit upgrades since he took office, said he is committed to presenting a balanced budget plan on Wednesday, despite earlier projections from his budget office that he’ll have to cover a more than $3 billion deficit.
After Pritzker presents his idea, lawmakers have until the end of May to review it and send him a budget to sign into law.
Cabello sits on the House Appropriations-Public Safety and Infrastructure Committee, one of the various appropriations panels charged with taking a closer look at spending. But, he said, “We don’t do sh--, and you can quote me on that.”
He said appropriations committees are used to keep legislators busy while a small group within the governor, Senate president and House speaker’s offices work behind the scenes to craft a budget.
“Anybody that wants to deny it is just lying to people’s faces,” Cabello said.
While agency directors are called before the appropriations committees and testify about their priorities and spending, Cabello said it can turn into an “attack fest” that leaves some in tears.
State Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan), chair of the Appropriations-Public Safety Committee, said she encourages members to “drill into the budget” and to “ask hard questions, why this over that.”
“For everybody on that committee to look at the budget, and ask as many questions as they feel necessary to get the answers that they need,” Mayfield said. “We do focus a lot on the year-over-year increases: Why are you increasing this line when you didn’t spend the money in the previous year?”
Mayfield said she’s waiting to see what Pritzker presents. She said the budgeting process will likely involve coming up with a budget plan for agencies and line items under the committee’s purview that meets a target, or cap, based on an updated revenue forecast.
“We don’t know what the final number is until after the governor does his address and tells us where we are budget wise, and what his vision is in order to close the gaps,” Mayfield said. “What is it that we need to do, and what is the number?”
Although it’s set to be a tighter budget process than recent years, Mayfield said that doesn’t change how she views her duty as an appropriations chair.
“My mindset is the same every year,” Mayfield said. “I’m not giving you a penny more than I have to. I’m a steward of taxpayer dollars. I’m a taxpayer. I need to know that my money is being spent in the most efficient manner possible.”
Mayfield said there is no need for a new agency or DOGE: “just another word … to upset one party and stimulate another.”
“I believe that we have processes currently in place that are doing the job they are meant to do,” Mayfield said, noting that the auditor general produces annual audits. “I don’t believe we need to add an additional layer.”
Audits publish findings if an agency is in breach of state rule or law, and have in the past uncovered problematic spending patterns by state agencies.
If a legislator wants more granular detail, they need to speak up, Mayfield said.
As first reported by Center Square, a resolution (House Resolution 30) introduced by state Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland), a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, calls for a forensic audit of Illinois’ finances as a means for elected officials to find places to save money in service of making a “meaningful dent in the State’s structural deficit.”
“A forensic audit is a thorough and evidentiary audit that can identify corrupt practices and wasteful spending that have occurred and provide the basis for prosecution for those who engaged in those practices,” the resolution reads. “Identifying waste, fraud, neglect, and abuse is a first step in restoring Illinois citizens’ faith in government.”
Capitol Fax recently resurfaced 2010 testimony from then-Auditor General Bill Holland who said Republican calls at the time for a forensic audit could entail examining 135 million transactions.
Holland told lawmakers examining all state transactions would be an “immense undertaking. It will take a lot of money and time,” costing up to “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Note: This article was published Feb. 17, 2025, and updated with video Feb. 18, 2025.
Contact Amanda Vinicky: @AmandaVinicky | [email protected]
