The DOGE Accountability and Transparency Act mandates weekly reports to Congress from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) detailing DOGE's actions, impacts on federal agencies, and data access, to ensure transparency and prevent abuse.
Bradley "Brad" Schneider
Representative
IL-10
The DOGE Accountability and Transparency Act mandates the Administrator of the United States Department of Government Efficiency Service (DOGE) to provide weekly reports to Congress detailing DOGE's actions, including changes to employee numbers, policies, and physical locations, along with the impacts and cost-saving measures on each Federal agency. These reports must also include details of any Federal agency data accessed by DOGE, the reasons for access, and the actions taken with the data. The Act aims to ensure transparency and accountability in DOGE's operations by requiring detailed reporting on its activities and their effects on federal agencies.
DOGE Accountability Act Mandates Weekly Reports to Congress on Agency Changes, Citing Transparency Concerns
This legislation, officially the "DOGE Accountability and Transparency Act," aims to put the relatively new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Service under tight congressional oversight. The core requirement is straightforward: starting just one week after the bill becomes law, the head of DOGE must send Congress a detailed report every single week outlining every change the department has made across all federal agencies and the results of those changes. An initial report covering activities from January 20, 2025, up to the law's enactment is also required within that first week.
Opening the Books on DOGE
The bill explicitly states Congress's concerns, citing findings that DOGE's push for workforce reductions and office closures could harm agencies' abilities to serve the public (Sec. 2). It suggests these changes need transparent analysis, not potential "personal vendettas or financial gain," and notes confusion among federal employees and citizens about DOGE's actions. Essentially, Congress is signaling it wants a clear, ongoing picture of what DOGE is doing, driven by worries about the potential real-world fallout of agency reorganizations.
What's in the Weekly Download?
These aren't simple summaries. Section 3 mandates a granular level of detail in each weekly report. Congress wants to know the specific legal authority DOGE used for each action, precise numbers on employee changes (resignations, removals, eliminated jobs), descriptions of office restructurings or relocations, any policy shifts, claimed cost savings, and a comparison of expected versus actual benefits. Critically, the reports must also detail any federal agency data DOGE accessed – who looked at it, why, and what they did with it. This is about tracking not just physical or personnel changes, but also the flow of potentially sensitive government information.
Transparency vs. Operational Tempo
The practical effect is constant scrutiny. For DOGE, this means a significant, ongoing administrative task – compiling comprehensive details across potentially numerous initiatives weekly. While the goal is transparency and accountability, ensuring changes are justified and impacts are understood, the reporting frequency could potentially slow down DOGE's operations. For the public and federal employees, the idea is that this oversight might catch problematic changes early. For instance, if DOGE proposed consolidating service centers, these reports would force them to detail the plan, the affected employee numbers, and the rationale (Sec. 3), giving Congress immediate data to question the move if it looks like it could negatively impact public access to services.