1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I strongly oppose the creation of a Pennsylvania version of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While promoting efficiency in government is a worthy goal, the proposed DOGE legislation by Senators Kristin Phillips-Hill and Doug Mastriano raises significant concerns about potential overreach and erosion of vital checks and balances. Establishing an oversight committee with the power to immediately suspend or cut funding for state agencies, as proposed by Sen. Mastriano, would grant excessive authority to a small group with no input from the executive branch that currently oversees these agencies. This could lead to politically motivated decisions and undermine the democratic process. Sen. Phillips-Hill's proposal to create a DOGE with purely advisory powers on regulation review is less concerning but still risks adding unnecessary bureaucracy and redundancy, as Pennsylvania already has established oversight mechanisms through the auditor general's office and state treasurer. Rather than creating a new DOGE department, I urge you to support strengthening and properly funding the existing oversight bodies to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficient use of taxpayer dollars within our current system of checks and balances. Introducing radical disruptions to state government based on partisan political agendas is not the answer and could have severe unintended consequences.