Lang
2/11/25
A local legislator is calling for Gov. Kim Reynolds’ new DOGE task force to look into her own programs.
On Monday, Reynolds signed an executive order launching Iowa’s Department of Government Efficiency Task Force (DOGE). Reynolds says the task force, led by Sukup Manufacturing Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Emily Schmitt, will be organized and focused around three broad goals: maximizing return on taxpayer investment, leveraging emerging technology, and further refining workforce and job training programs.
But Representative Adam Zabner, a Democrat from Iowa City who represents District 90, thinks the new task force will find potential wasteful spending in the governor’s own programs. In a letter to Schmitt, Zabner specifically cites Reynolds’ school voucher program, which was established in 2023 and he says is estimated to cost taxpayers over $1 billion through fiscal year 2027. He also calls for Iowa DOGE to look at the privatization of Medicaid, which he says has experienced cost overruns in the hundreds of millions of dollars since its inception in 2016.
Zabner has previously served on the State Government Efficiency Review Committee, which was established in 2024 to review the state’s boards and commissions every four years to see if they need to continue existing.
A copy of the letter can be found here: zabner_doge_letter