Illinois GOP hopefuls tout DOGE model, demand state audit after Louisiana claims $1B in LA DOGE savings
Illinois Republican challengers are pushing a "DOGE for Illinois" model and demanding a state audit, arguing the approach could prevent "Walz-style failures" and touting Louisiana's example. Louisiana’s LA DOGE program, created by Gov. Jeff Landry, claims nearly $999.5 million in annual savings—split roughly $367 million from the general fund, $601 million in federal dollars and $65 million from other sources—largely from Medicaid and SNAP eligibility checks, workforce and efficiency changes, and renegotiated contracts, even as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats are working to reverse many DOGE-driven cuts to HUD in bipartisan appropriations talks.
📌 Key Facts
- Sen. Chuck Schumer says Democrats are working in current budget talks to "restore most of the cuts" DOGE made to HUD and to go above prior-year funding levels for many programs, framing the effort as largely bipartisan though he did not specify which HUD programs would see increases.
- Senate appropriators have proposed raising FY2026 Transportation-HUD funding by $5 billion over FY2025, but final bill text has not yet been released.
- Louisiana’s "LA DOGE" program, created by Gov. Jeff Landry’s December 2024 executive order, reports $999.5 million in annual savings across 17 state departments.
- LA DOGE’s reported savings are broken out as $367 million from Louisiana’s general fund, $601 million in federal tax dollars, and $65 million from other funding sources.
- LA DOGE attributes its savings to multiple measures, including $285.5 million in Medicaid savings and $14.9 million in SNAP savings from tightened eligibility and monthly DMV-based residency checks; $407.6 million from workforce and efficiency changes; and $206.4 million from renegotiated or canceled contracts.
- Landry’s office argues the LA DOGE cuts helped avoid a "fiscal cliff," enabled record state tax cuts, helped keep SNAP funded during the federal shutdown, and advanced efforts to eliminate the state income tax.
📊 Relevant Data
Louisiana's Medicaid program paid approximately $103 million for services to ineligible recipients between July 2022 and June 2024, according to a 2025 audit by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.
Auditors find Louisiana paid $103M for ineligible Medicaid recipients — The Center Square
Louisiana paid $9.6 million for Medicaid services to deceased beneficiaries between 2020 and 2024, with the audit identifying that the program did not timely receive or process death information in many cases.
Louisiana paid nearly $10 million for health care dead Medicaid beneficiaries — Louisiana Illuminator
Louisiana's Medicaid enrollment declined by 21% from a peak of over 2 million in 2023 to about 1.6 million in June 2025, primarily due to post-pandemic eligibility redeterminations removing over 400,000 people.
Medicaid Enrollment Declines — Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana
In Louisiana, Black residents have a poverty rate of approximately 29.4% compared to 12.3% for White residents as of 2022, with Black residents comprising 31.7% of the state's population but likely overrepresented in welfare programs due to these disparities.
Louisiana — Data USA
Nationally, SNAP recipients are approximately 37% White, 26% Black, and 16% Hispanic, with Louisiana's 18% SNAP participation rate (847,100 people in 2024) reflecting similar overrepresentation of Black households given the state's 33% Black population and higher poverty rates among them.
New USDA Report Provides Picture of Who Participates in SNAP — Food Research & Action Center
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Louisiana’s LA DOGE program, created by Gov. Jeff Landry’s December 2024 executive order, reports $999.5 million in annual savings across 17 state departments.
- The report breaks out savings as $367 million from Louisiana’s general fund, $601 million in federal tax dollars, and $65 million from other funding sources.
- LA DOGE claims $285.5 million in Medicaid savings and $14.9 million in SNAP savings by tightening eligibility and adding monthly DMV-based residency checks, while also cutting $407.6 million via workforce/efficiency changes and $206.4 million through renegotiated or canceled contracts.
- Landry’s office argues the cuts avoided a 'fiscal cliff,' allowed record state tax cuts and helped keep SNAP funded during the federal shutdown, while continuing a push toward eliminating state income tax.
- Schumer says Democrats are working in current budget talks to 'restore most of the cuts' DOGE made to HUD and go above prior-year levels on many programs.
- He frames this as a largely bipartisan effort within appropriations negotiations, though he does not specify which HUD programs would get increases.
- The article notes Senate appropriators have proposed raising FY2026 Transportation-HUD funding by $5 billion over FY2025 but final bill text is not yet released.