The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has launched [1] an internal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force, which has already uncovered $260 million in savings, HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced.
Turner, who was confirmed by the Senate as President Donald Trump’s pick to lead HUD on February 5, introduced the initiative on his first day in office.
In a press conference, Turner outlined the task force’s mission to review HUD’s budget, streamline operations, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently.
According to a Thursday press release, the HUD task force will be composed of department employees who will “examine how to best maximize the agency’s budget and ensure all programs, processes, and personnel are working together to advance the purpose of the department.”
Turner highlighted the task force’s early success in identifying $260 million in savings.
I’m happy to announce the @DOGE [2] Task Force at HUD.
We will identify and eliminate any waste, fraud, and abuse.
Under President Trump’s leadership business as usual is over. pic.twitter.com/4zAWTWETO9 [3]
— Scott Turner (@SecretaryTurner) February 13, 2025 [4]
In a video shared on social media, Turner emphasized that DOGE is working to ensure that “taxpayers aren’t funding DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion]” programs, which have come under scrutiny for their budgetary impact across multiple federal agencies.
HUD is working with @DOGE [2] to take a full accounting of contracts to ensure that taxpayers aren’t funding DEI. pic.twitter.com/3uN3IzSbEX [5]
— Scott Turner (@SecretaryTurner) February 10, 2025 [6]
The move aligns with broader efforts led by DOGE to restructure and streamline government spending, a key focus of the Trump administration.
DOGE leader Elon Musk addressed the issue of government efficiency at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Wednesday. Musk suggested that cutting budgets alone may not be sufficient to address inefficiencies in federal agencies.
“I think we do need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leave part of them behind,” Musk said, according to the National News Desk.
He likened partial agency cuts to removing weeds without addressing their roots.
“It’s kind of like leaving a weed. If you don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots of the weed, it doesn’t stop weeds from ever going back, but it makes it harder,” Musk explained.
