HR 1535119th CongressIn Committee

BAD DOGE Act

Introduced: Feb 24, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The BAD DOGE Act is a bill that would repeal Executive Order 14158, which established and attempted to implement a so-called Department of Government Efficiency (the DOGE program). The bill is framed as a corrective measure to curb what its proponents view as overreach by a so-called United States DOGE Service (USDS) and a temporary USDSTO, led by a government figure identified in the text as Elon Musk, and to restore constitutional and legal boundaries around federal operations. If enacted, the Executive Order would be treated as having no force or effect, and the DOGE initiative and its related structures would be dismantled or halted, with emphasis on upholding existing statutes, ethics rules, and congressional oversight. The bill also lays out extensive findings accusing the DOGE entities of operating beyond their authority, violating multiple federal laws and constitutional provisions, and taking actions that would disrupt normal government functions. While these findings reflect the sponsor’s view, the operative provision is straightforward: repeal the executive order and restore the prior framework.

Key Points

1Repeals the Executive Order that created the Department of Government Efficiency (EO 14158) and states it shall have no force or effect.
2Establishes the bill’s formal title as the “Bolstering America’s Democracy and Demanding Oversight and Government Ethics Act” or the “BAD DOGE Act.”
3Provides extensive findings alleging that the DOGE-created entities (USDS and USDSTO) exceeded legal authority, engaged in actions beyond what a temporary organization may do, and raised concerns about leadership, ethics, and compliance with federal law and the Constitution.
4Cites a long list of federal statutes and constitutional provisions the actions allegedly violated (ranging from the Impoundment and Anti-Deficiency Acts to the Privacy Act, Federal Information Security Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, and APA), portraying these actions as serious legal and constitutional breaches.
5Targets the removal of the DOGE initiative as a means to restore proper congressional oversight, separation of powers, and adherence to established statutory and ethical requirements.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Federal agencies and programs involved in IT modernization, digital services, and government-wide IT systems (the DOGE program and related USDSTO/USDS leadership). Repealing the executive order would terminate or suspend these modernization efforts and the associated organizational structures.Secondary group/area affected- Federal employees and the systems that handle personnel and payroll data (OPM, BFS, and the federal payroll/payments ecosystem). The bill’s narrative asserts improper access to personnel records and control over payments systems, suggesting a rollback of any DOGE-led actions in these areas.Additional impacts- Legislative and constitutional oversight: The bill emphasizes restoring constitutional separation of powers and adherence to federal statutes and ethics rules, which would heighten congressional oversight and potentially curtail rapid executive-created reorganizations without explicit congressional authorization.- Legal and administrative process: By labeling the DOGE actions as potentially violating multiple statutes and the Administrative Procedure Act, the bill signals a return to standard statutory processes for agency changes, which could slow or block any rapid, unilateral modernization efforts proposed under the EO.- Political and inter-branch dynamics: Enactment would likely intensify political disputes over executive branch restructuring, executive authority, and the role of non-traditional leadership, given the bill’s assertions about leadership and special government employee status.USDS stands for United States Digital Service in common federal parlance; the bill uses a satirical rebranding “United States DOGE Service.”USDSTO is described as a “Temporary Organization” under the 5 U.S.C. 3161 framework, which ordinarily limits temporary projects' scope.The text repeatedly references actions allegedly taken under Musk’s leadership, framed as beyond statutory authority; these assertions are part of the bill’s rationale for repeal.

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