DOGE is about making government services easier to access, its head says

Efficiency is framed as reducing friction and administrative burden for public users, federal workforce, and state users. Citizens are expected to experience government services as modern and easy to use, similar to the private sector. Priorities include improving government services, modernizing government systems, combating fraud, and hiring tech talent. The administration previously pushed 20,000 technology-focused government employees out of their jobs, and the group now emphasizes rebuilding tech capacity. The U.S. DOGE Service was formed by transforming the U.S. Digital Service after Trump returned to the White House. DOGE actions have included dismantling USAID, seeking high-level access to sensitive government data, and job reductions, while spending cuts were largely unsuccessful.

"“I think of efficiency really as reducing that friction, administrative burden, both from our public users as well as our federal workforce, and even state users that we're working with,” she said. “Our citizens have come to expect their government experience to feel like the private sector experience, where it's modern and easy to use.”"

"Although that message ties back to much of the history of the Obama-era office that President Donald Trump reshaped into DOGE, the U.S. Digital Service, it diverges somewhat from what DOGE has made itself known for, like dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, pressing for unprecedented, high-level access to sensitive government data and pushing thousands of government employees out of their jobs."

"Gleason told an audience at a government IT industry event Wednesday that the group's priorities today are improving government services, modernizing government systems, combating fraud and hiring tech talent after the administration pushed 20,000 technology-focused government employees out of their jobs last year."

"When Trump moved back into the White House last year, he quickly transformed USDS - set up in the wake of the botched healthcare.gov launch to prevent future such failures - into the U.S. DOGE Service. Many of those on the existing team were laid off or resigned in protest. Some stayed and continued to work on the types of citizen-facing projects the Obama-era team was known for."

Read at Nextgov.com