4 ms·

Title is a little misleading, these aren't staff of the new made up DOGE agency but an existing agency (the US Digital Service) that predates the Trump administ

Title is a little misleading, these aren't staff of the new made up DOGE agency but an existing agency (the US Digital Service) that predates the Trump administration and is now (apparently?) under the control of Elon Musk

myko 2y ago
To be clear, trump signed an EO renaming Digital Service to DOGE: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5270893/doge-united-states-digital-service-elon-musk-usds-trump-white-house-eop-omb https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5270893/doge-united-sta...
Jtsummers 2y ago
Trump renamed it to reuse the letters. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/esta...
- alephnerd 2y ago
  This is because the USDS was given broad executive authority by Congress during the Obama era as part of the healthcare.gov rollout. To give DOGE actual teeth, they used this loophole to convert the USDS into DOGE. Hats off to their lawyer, but also shows how executive authority has really overreached in the 2000s.
  - iugtmkbdfil834 2y ago
    Honestly, this is brilliant ( in an evil way ) and I can't believe I missed it in my initial read.
  - paleotrope 2y ago
    Executive overreach has been the growing problem since at least the 80s. The actual term "unitary executive" dates from then. The problem is the government has gotten too big. Congress can't or won't rein it in. The President doesn't have the scope to do it either. So in effect, alot of power is giving to the various organizations, and under unitary executive power, the President devolves his authority to the various organizations. This leads to the growth of unaccountable bureaucracy. I know this sounds contradictory but it isn't. The bureaucracy reports to the President who under unitary executive theory is their only real boss. An absent boss if the best kind of boss. The twinned parties like this because they can force through policies they really, really want when they hold the executive, but everything else sorts of just happens.

myko 2y ago

To be clear, trump signed an EO renaming Digital Service to DOGE: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5270893/doge-united-states-digital-service-elon-musk-usds-trump-white-house-eop-omb https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5270893/doge-united-sta...

Jtsummers 2y ago

Trump renamed it to reuse the letters. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/esta...

alephnerd 2y ago
This is because the USDS was given broad executive authority by Congress during the Obama era as part of the healthcare.gov rollout. To give DOGE actual teeth, they used this loophole to convert the USDS into DOGE. Hats off to their lawyer, but also shows how executive authority has really overreached in the 2000s.
- iugtmkbdfil834 2y ago
  Honestly, this is brilliant ( in an evil way ) and I can't believe I missed it in my initial read.
- paleotrope 2y ago
  Executive overreach has been the growing problem since at least the 80s. The actual term "unitary executive" dates from then. The problem is the government has gotten too big. Congress can't or won't rein it in. The President doesn't have the scope to do it either. So in effect, alot of power is giving to the various organizations, and under unitary executive power, the President devolves his authority to the various organizations. This leads to the growth of unaccountable bureaucracy. I know this sounds contradictory but it isn't. The bureaucracy reports to the President who under unitary executive theory is their only real boss. An absent boss if the best kind of boss. The twinned parties like this because they can force through policies they really, really want when they hold the executive, but everything else sorts of just happens.