Are you out enjoying the snow? We hope you are.

The White House just published a new EO with far-reaching consequences, basically trying to put almost the entire Federal workforce under DOGE and through a process of "DOGE-ification."

Here are the key provisions:

OMB-led streamlining of the Federal workforce. OMB will have to produce a plan to downsize the Federal workforce. This will include (with some exceptions) that that agencies must remove four existing employees for each new hire.

DOGE control of new hiring. New hires in each agency have to be approved by their respective DOGE Team Leads, and Team Leads will report monthly on the agency to DOGE.

Agencies must put together "large-scale" plans to reduce workforce. Consistent with law, meaning not applying to functions that are mandated by Congress, agencies must put together plans to reduce their workforce on a "large scale." Exempt are functions "related to public safety, immigration enforcement, or law enforcement."

Expansion of suitability criteria. OPM will put forward a new rule that expands the criteria for determining the suitability of certain employees, basically making it easier to fire them.

Non-statutory offices on the chopping block. Agencies must identify all offices that are not protected by acts of Congress, and for those agencies, "discuss whether the agency or its subcomponents should be eliminated or consolidated."

Alongside with the designation of CIOs as de facto political appointees, this points not only to a wholesale reorganization of the Federal bureaucracy but also to de facto control by DOGE. Whether that means Elon can streamline it to a significant extent without losing capacity remains to be seen.

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