The DOGE-OK report calls for major conservative reforms to state agencies, including big cuts to state-sponsored health care in Oklahoma.
The division was set up by Gov. Kevin Stitt's executive order calling for a report by the end of March to improve the efficiency of state agencies and reduce the number of state employees.
It’s already creating conversation among state employees and leaders.
"If you don't want to make waves in state government, pay every invoice, never question anything, then there's never gonna be a squeaky wheel." Stitt said at a press conference. "As soon as you start holding people accountable, you start to look at things, people start spinning. They start calling the media.”
"They start saying people are going to die," he said.
The report recommends letting the state have some say in what medications are covered by Medicare, rather than the feds. It also proposes cutting hundreds of state jobs, easing graduation requirements for Oklahoma college students and much more. Nothing major listed in the report has been cut yet, Stitt said.
The DOGE-OK website shows more than $8 million in total savings. The report proposes hundreds of millions more.
Stitt’s appointee to lead the process, Marc Nuttle, seems to be taking a more measured approach than federal DOGE head Elon Musk. Nuttle published a full report Tuesday, rather than tracking cuts on a constantly shifting “wall of receipts” website. The report is laid out over 32 pages, complete with itemized lists, budget analyses and graphics.
Oklahoma Democrats don't agree with many of the findings. House and Senate minority leaders have denounced the DOGE-OK efforts, saying they frivolously put the state's core services – and the Oklahomans that rely on them – at risk.
“We absolutely need to become more efficient,” Kirt said. “But just to lop something off in the middle of a year where there's no people to answer questions. That's a deep concern.”
Dave Hamby, a spokesperson for the center-left think tank The Oklahoma Policy Institute, agrees with Democrats, but acknowledged the merit in Stitt’s Trump-like efforts.“The idea of spending tax dollars wisely is a good goal,” Hamby said, “But we have to make sure that we don't sacrifice dollars today for problems that will be greater tomorrow because we didn’t address them.”
Though Stitt requested the report, on Wednesday, it seemed he wasn't fully aware of its contents.
“I'm not sure exactly what, what you're talking about on that, on the $157 million,” Stitt said in response to a question about whether returned federal grant money would end up going to other states.
That grant money is slated for health programs. State medical professionals on the front lines of providing care for Oklahomans are worried recommendations from the report do more harm than good. Oklahoma State Medical Association President Dr. Sumit Nanda said it’s extremely important to invest in public health measures.
“It's in our economic best interest, beyond the moral interest of taking care of people that are sick,” Dr. Nanda said.
“What about the economic cause of improving the business climate in our state? The best investment in our state, in our business climate, is to have a healthier population, because then businesses are more likely to come here.”
Return child vaccine funding
The report recommends sending $15 million in children's immunization funding back to the federal government.
The only reason listed for returning the funds, set to be given to the state through June, is that they “exceed the amount needed.”
Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s vaccine exemption rates among kindergartners grew an entire percentage point in the last school year and measles cases in the state continue to climb.
“It's almost irresponsible to return funds that have been allocated toward health care in our state,” Dr. Nanda said.
Repeal federal requirement for emergency medicine approval
The report proposes the state, rather than the FDA, be in charge of whether Medicare covers medications given federal emergency approval.
The FDA’s Accelerated Approval Program fast-tracks access to medicine for serious conditions, including many life-saving cancer treatments.
The report highlights two drugs once on the FDA’s list that were later pulled from the market because of efficacy concerns. Still, approximately 80% of drugs eventually get verified approval, so putting the decision into the state’s control would prevent more people from getting access to necessary treatments.
Return federal behavioral health care, diabetes funding
Reasoning for each health-related directive is sparse. Following a suggestion to give back $1 million dedicated to behavioral health care, the report claims accepting the money duplicates efforts already being performed by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health, which is currently struggling to stretch its budget.
Under the recommendation to send back money for diabetes prevention, the report reads “funding exceeds the amount needed,” but Oklahoma remains on the list of states with a high percentage of adults with diabetes.
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