NEW: Arizona DOGE Committee Begins To Announce Initial Cuts

Arizona State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, a Republican, recently took to X to announce a number of cuts the state is eyeing as part of its own “Department Of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) efforts. The state efforts come after President-elect Donald Trump tasked tech leader Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Elon Musk with recommending cuts to reign in the federal government’s massive waste and an ever-growing bureaucracy. The “DOGE” moniker was applied by Musk.

Republicans recently expanded their lead in the Arizona legislature after picking up two State House seats in the November elections. Arizona provided President-elect Trump’s widest margin of victory any swing state after he narrowly lost in 2020. Trump’s down-ballot effect, in addition to Arizona resident Charlie Kirk’s get-out-the-vote efforts through Turning Point USA, appeared to play a prominent role in empowering state Republicans.

A few weeks after Trump announced the formation of DOGE, Arizona Republicans formally moved to create their own variation of the committee for state affairs. Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen noted that unlike the federal DOGE — which is an unofficial advisory committee that lacks the ability to introduce legislation — Arizona’s committee was not created by the Executive Branch. The Arizona DOGE committee, which will be chaired by State Senator Shawnna Bolick, will use the state Legislature’s power to focus on proposed bills and recommended cuts.

Arizona State Senator Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix) will chair the state’s version of the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). Photo: Gage Skidmore

X owner Elon Musk has long stated that DOGE’s findings and recommendations will be made publicly available. Photo: @ElonMusk via X

“Anything that has to do with red tape, anything that has to do with regulations, anything that has to do with fraud, government waste, government reform, all of those policies would be assigned to this committee,” Petersen said. The Arizona Senate leader added that the committee will work closely with its counterpart in the Arizona House of Representatives, which was established by Speaker-elect Steve Montenegro. The House Committee will be chaired by State Rep. Joseph Chaplik

According to Petersen, both committees will work to focus on bills that have already gained traction in recent years as part of a wider effort to cut down on waste and regulatory red tape in the Grand Canyon State. “I think if we have anything that has to do with time frames, licensing, those issues,” he said. Peterson added that the committee could advance a bill that would establish term limits for Arizona law makers, though he did not provide additional details in an interview with 91.5 Phoenix.

On Tuesday, State Rep. Alexander Kolodin announced that the Arizona DOGE committee is already hard at work, adding that a number of potential cuts and specific pieces of legislation have already been discussed. “When big government is drowning you, we got to throw the book out. Now in Arizona, regulatory bloat affects every aspect of our lives. And it’s even more ridiculous than it is at the federal level,” Kolodin said while speaking in front of a whiteboard filled with plans. 

The Arizona lawmaker then listed a number of bizarre initiatives that are currently receiving state funding. “Citrus Research Council? Cuties, how do they work? Gone. Beef Research Council? Where’s the beef? More like where’s the pork? Cotton Research Council? School bus advisory council? Student Transport Advisory Council? Companion Animal Stay and Neuter Advisory Council? Sickos. Gone in this bill,” Kolodin said. The statement appeared to make several references to a famous video made by current Argentinian President Javier Milei, who went down a list of government departments listed on a whiteboard before ripping them off.

“This is a new Republican era, and this is a new Republican majority,” Kolodin concluded after listing several more examples of government waste and excess.