Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, has proposed a bill creating a DOGE-style Government Accountability to Taxpayer Office in New Mexico to root out waste and fraud. “This office will go into all the departments and scrub the books,†he said. Block admits he doubts Democrats will support the measure.
Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, has proposed a bill creating a DOGE-style Government Accountability to Taxpayer Office in New Mexico to root out waste and fraud. “This office will go into all the departments and scrub the books,†he said. Block admits he doubts Democrats will support the measure.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, President Donald Trump would surely be charmed by state Sen. Jay Block.
The freshman Rio Rancho Republican dropped a bill Thursday to create a Government Accountability to Taxpayer Office, which would essentially be New Mexico’s version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“It really came about from seeing all the vast amount of fraud, waste and abuse coming out of DOGE at the federal government, [which] is what we’re seeing, and I firmly believe there’s money being wasted here in New Mexico as well,†Block said during an interview in his office, where the decor includes a red-and-white “Make America Great Again†hat and a coffee table book-size copy of Letters to Trump.
Block noted the state government’s budget has grown exponentially in recent years, leading to potential, unnoticed shenanigans.
“A few days ago, we tried to make an amendment on a campaign finance bill related to transparency for lawmakers,†Block said, adding it sought to shed light on legislators who have contracts with the state.
The proposed amendment was shot down, he said.
“What I heard was if you have a contract that is over $5,000, it has to be reported, but how many people have contracts under $5,000?†asked Block, a former Sandoval County commissioner.
“I think the people of New Mexico deserve to know which lawmakers are serving in the Legislature that are making laws and have contracts with the state,†he said.
Block’s measure, Senate Bill 484, would create the taxpayer accountability office “in the executive branch as an adjunct agency†with a chief executive and administrative officer who would be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the state Senate.
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The duties of the office would include conducting performance audits of state agencies and programs, recommending improvements in government operations to increase efficiency and reduce waste, and monitoring the implementation of its recommendations.
Asked whether the agency would duplicate the duties of the State Auditor’s Office, Block said there might be some duplication, but the agency he is proposing would delve deeper.
“This office will go into all the departments and scrub the books,†he said, adding the federal government has various oversight agencies, such as the U.S. Government Accountability Office and multiple offices of audits.
While tech billionaire Elon Musk is reportedly in charge of DOGE, Block said he’s confident New Mexico has or can attract the talent to ferret out fraud, waste and abuse in state government.
“I would hope that we could set it up very similar to what we’re seeing now in the federal government,†he said. “We have very, very smart young adults in college that are software engineers, that are AI savvy, that can go in and look at all these systems and see where the money is and what we’re spending money on.â€
Block pointed out the state government has been rocked by financial scandals. “How many times have we heard from people like, ‘They’re wasting my tax dollars’? All the time. We’ve had scandals. ... Rep. Stapleton is a prime example,†he said, referring to former state Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, who is facing federal charges after being accused of funneling public money for her own gain while working as an administrator at Albuquerque Public Schools.
“We’re just trying to be as transparent and as efficient as possible for the taxpayer of New Mexico,†he said.
Although he believes in his bill, Block said the odds of it gaining support from Democrats are “zero.â€
“You have to try,†he said. “The people put us up here to try to make things better.â€
