Louisiana’s Republican-led push for fiscal reform is already delivering massive results, with the state’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) racking up nearly $1 billion in savings since its launch.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) announced that Louisiana’s “Fiscal Responsibility Program,” commonly known as LA DOGE, has generated $999.5 million in combined state and federal savings in just over a year.
The initiative was modeled after the federal DOGE program created by President Donald Trump and originally spearheaded by Elon Musk to root out waste, fraud, and inefficiency across government.
Landry formally established LA DOGE through an executive order signed on December 12, 2024, placing the program directly under the governor’s executive office.
The order cited ballooning government costs, shrinking population numbers, and a lack of accountability as justification for a top-down review of state operations.
LA DOGE was tasked with examining state budgets, reviewing contracts, identifying unnecessary staffing levels, and modernizing outdated government systems to reduce costs without cutting services.
The program also focused on improving service delivery, shortening wait times, and using technology to lower costs while increasing efficiency for taxpayers.
Fiscal Responsibility Czar Steve Orlando, an oil and gas executive with private-sector experience, was appointed to lead the effort alongside legislative leaders and state auditors, per Trending Politics.
In practice, LA DOGE conducted audits across 17 state departments, implementing reforms in areas ranging from technology services to welfare eligibility.
One major focus involved tightening eligibility requirements for Medicaid and SNAP, using monthly residency verification data from the Office of Motor Vehicles to remove ineligible recipients.
The program also renegotiated and terminated contracts, eliminated outdated IT systems, reduced travel and telecommunications spending, and optimized state-owned assets and leases.
According to figures reviewed by Fox News, the reforms produced $367 million in state general fund savings, $601 million in federal savings, and $65 million from other sources.
A detailed breakdown showed $407.6 million saved through process and workforce optimization, $206.4 million from contracts, and $285.5 million from Medicaid eligibility improvements.
Additional savings included $14.9 million from SNAP reforms, $68.4 million from technology services, and smaller reductions from travel, telecommunications, asset use, and leases.
Landry said state government must live within its means, stating taxpayers deserve protection from abuse and that removing fraud strengthens programs meant for the truly needy.
He called the effort “an unbelievably tremendous achievement” and said it marks “the dawn of a new state government” as Louisiana continues expanding the initiative.
