Ciattarelli Proposes New Jersey Department of Government Efficiency Modeled After Federal DOGE
Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican contender for New Jersey’s governorship, has announced his plan to establish a state-level Department of Government Efficiency (NJDOGE), inspired by the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) created by President Donald Trump. This initiative aims to streamline state government operations through audits and investigations, despite Ciattarelli’s previous criticism of similar proposals.
The federal DOGE has been recognized for its significant budget cuts across federal agencies, although its methods have faced criticism for causing job losses and impacting critical services such as Social Security. One of its primary objectives is to generate funds for tax cuts that benefit America’s wealthiest citizens.
Ciattarelli detailed his vision in a social media post, stating, “When I’m Governor, the Office of the State Comptroller will be renamed the New Jersey Department of Government Efficiency (NJDOGE) and the Comptroller will be elevated to a cabinet-level position.” He plans to empower this office to identify and eliminate governmental fraud through comprehensive audits.
In February, he further outlined that NJDOGE would integrate with the State Commission of Investigations, granting it the authority to conduct public hearings, subpoena witnesses, and issue in-depth reports with budgetary recommendations.
During a radio interview on March 4, Ciattarelli emphasized that NJDOGE’s primary focus would be on rooting out fraud and waste within the Medicaid system, which he described as the state’s largest budget line item, nearing $20 billion. He expressed his intent to scrutinize data for instances of individuals exploiting the system and receiving unwarranted services.
Despite Ciattarelli’s focus on Medicaid recipients, historical data from the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services shows that most Medicaid fraud is perpetrated by health care providers and contractors. Approximately 1.9 million New Jersey residents depend on Medicaid for their health coverage.
Having served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2011 to 2018, Ciattarelli is no stranger to the political arena, having previously run for governor in 2017 and 2021. His current stance on state audits contrasts with his 2017 Republican primary campaign, where he criticized Lieutenant Gov. Kim Guadagno’s audit-based tax cut plan as yielding “false savings and phantom revenues.”
He remarked at the time, “It’s irresponsible and I’ll even go far enough to say in some senses it’s a lie,” estimating that such an audit would only generate $250 million, insufficient for funding substantial tax cuts or producing sustained revenue.
The Republican primary for the 2025 governor race is set for June 10, yet the Ciattarelli campaign has not provided further comments on the proposal.
More details on Ciattarelli’s proposal can be found on the American Journal News website.
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