Lexington Democratic Sen. Reggie Thomas said mimicking the terminology of DOGE with the Kentucky Department of Government Efficiency creates a politically-charged atmosphere around the bill and the auditor's office, which would be asked to conduct audits and reviews of state agencies.
In floor remarks, Thomas said DOGE is nothing to imitate.
"What's come out of it... in the last four months is chaos, confusion, a loss of jobs, uncertainty, and a great deal of social unrest," he said. "I would not like to see that duplicated here in Kentucky."
But even opponents of the bill acknowledged the language doesn't add a great deal to what's already on the books in Kentucky.
And as for the comparison to the federal group led by tech mogul Elon Musk, Sen. Robert Stivers offered this observation: "Auditor (Allison) Ball has no authority to fire anybody except who's in her office. She has no authority to modify or change statutes for which we draft defining what cabinets will look like."
The bill would bolster funding for the Republican auditor's office with the goal of increasing its oversight capabilities. The measure's sponsor, Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, has described the bill as one aimed at increasing fiscal responsibility.