The Iowa Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force held its first meeting, and one House Representative shares his thoughts on the group.

District 23 Representative Ray Sorensen says that the Iowa DOGE is a state level initiative launched by Governor Kim Reynolds, which was inspired by President Donald Trump’s own DOGE at the federal level. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio what the department is supposed to do.

“What it is, is it builds on the governor’s prior efforts like the 2023 state government reorg(anization) that cut 21 agencies and saved $217 million in 18 months, and its three main goals are maximizing taxpayer return on investment, refining workforce and job training programs, and leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence. Unlike the federal DOGE, it won’t access personal data and will focus instead on systemic improvements.”

Sorensen mentions that the task force consists of 15-20 private business leaders, who share an expertise in efficiency, management, and technology, along with two local government representatives, one from the Senate and one from the House of Representatives. He adds that findings from the meeting must be shared by late September, and will be taken into consideration in the 2026 legislative session.