Have you questioned if the new federal government Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is compatible with the Convention of States (COS) goals?
The answer is that DOGE and COS are running in complimentary parallel tracks toward a goal of empowering the American people toward self-governance.
We need to step back a little over 100 years to understand where federal overreach and loss of self-governance began in earnest. We can trace the acceleration with the start of the progressive era (early 20th century). President Teddy Roosevelt spoke of reining in the wealthy that slowed the operations of government so as to “enjoy unmolested the fruits of their own evildoing”. These were words chosen to vilify capitalism.
Since Roosevelt, the federal government has been aggressively restraining capitalism in exchange for the health, welfare and safety of Citizens by legislating onerous statutes (laws) under the guise of “equal treatment under the law”.
The federal government overreach spans all 3 branches of government but starts with constitutional misinterpretations by the Supreme Court. These misguided Supreme Court rulings have cascaded into Congressional overreach with statutes that in turn have been multiplied into volumes of regulations and added federal agencies that control them.
This was no more obvious than what we recently experienced with Covid, DEI and open borders policies.
The progressive model has created an unsustainable fiscal situation and a fourth branch of federal government; regulatory agencies inclusive of the unelected personnel that run them. Congressional oversight of these agencies is minimal.
Many of these federal agencies are a transparent trampling on the powers reserved for the States.
Solutions are available and would be relatively easy if political forces were not at play. As our divided and entrenched political parties in Washington DC have proven each year, they do not have the incentive or will to correct federal dysfunction on their own.
The two-track solution is to change the structure at the federal level with Constitutional amendments proposed by an Article V Convention and ratified by the States. In parallel, create an audit system that highlights federal waste and inefficiency within the federal government through a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The American people through their State Legislators will provide the impetus to move an Article V Convention forward that will establish the real power in a solution.
The DOGE will root out and make visible any waste and abuse at the federal level. This will in turn provide the American people with ammunition to pressure their Congressional Representatives for action via legislation.
As a general note, Constitutional amendments are difficult to change due to constraints in Article V whereas statutes can more easily be changed (for good or bad) through legislative majority and can occur quickly after a single election. This is why the real hammer is found in Article V and the amendment process due to its enduring nature.
In its current form, the DOGE mission is “to decentralize the narrative around federal government spending, giving power back to the people to hold government entities accountable for their financial decisions.”
The DOGE is a non-congressionally approved advisory body headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. This department will review the structure and cost vs benefits of all federal agencies to determine where and how they can be optimized to reduce federal costs.
DOGE is expected to make specific recommendations for eliminating unnecessary federal agencies, cutting regulations, and when needed, integrate multiple agencies into a single agency with resulting reduction in staff.
The goal of DOGE is to navigate toward a future where federal government efficiency is not just a goal but a standard.
The easy part for DOGE in the current administration will be reversing policies previously enacted using presidential executive orders. However, the greatest impact will be cuts to regulations, waste and welfare that must come from Congress. This is where the rubber meets the road and if Congress balks, very little or no change will be made.
Although DOGE is scheduled to finish their review and provide recommendations by July 2026, this oversight could and should be formalized as an ongoing part of Congress that is transparent to our citizens.
The COS mission is “to rein in the federal government by shifting power to the States and regain self-governance”. The specific agenda is to propose amendments in three subject categories 1) impose fiscal restraints 2) impose term limits on federal officials 3) limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government.
Article V (Amendments Clause) of the Constitution sets a high bar for change. Our Founders intended that any Constitutional changes be approved by a super-majority of the American people.
Using Article V is a key feature that enshrines Federalism in this binding document we call the Constitution. The Founders understood that man is a power-hungry creature, and the natural course will be for the federal government to overpower the states.
An Article V Convention is initiated with citizens of each state petitioning their legislators to approve a resolution for specific subject(s) at convention. Once two-thirds of the States approve the same resolution, Congress is mandated to call a Convention whereby each State is represented and amendments are proposed. Any approved amendments at Convention are sent to the States for ratification. Three-fourths of the States must approve any amendment prior to addition to the Constitution.
The states power in Article V is Federalism, explained as the vertical balance of power between the federal government and the states. The power in DOGE is in the horizontal balance of power (Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches). Creating change using both directions of checking power is a significant force.
In conclusion, an Article V Convention can lead to Constitutional amendments that establish new structural limits that are difficult to circumvent. A DOGE has potential to reduce the size and cost of the existing federal bureaucracy although it has no Constitutional power and will be subject to the whims of Congress. Regardless, both an Article V Convention and DOGE are a powerful combination and move us in the right direction toward self-governance.
