State Sen. Douglas V. Mastriano rallies in Latrobe. (Bloomberg)
"We have oversight of the purse strings. We control the budget. It only makes sense, therefore, that we have a DOGE by the legislature with oversight to make cuts where we can."
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Auditor General Timothy DeFoor would, however, have a say in some of its membership, he noted.
Mastriano, who ran as the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee against Shapiro, said that when Musk unveiled his original DOGE proposal, he thought, "No kidding, we absolutely must have this in Pennsylvania."
The lawmaker, who is also a retired Army colonel and veteran of the Desert Storm Battle of 73 Easting – history's last major tank battle – said his DOGE committee plan was also inspired by his experiences with the federal military bureaucracy.
"I remember in the '80s when Reagan came in, and there was accountability done when reporters found out the U.S. Air Force had spent $800 on toilet seats for the airplanes and another case of a hammer [reportedly costing hundreds of dollars] that they wanted to buy – so that kind of fraud, waste, abuse has been extant throughout my career."
"And in DoD, we always had a fraud-waste-abuse hotline – then you see what Elon Musk is doing. We need that in Pennsylvania."
DOGE ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $1B IN SAVINGS
Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee Chairman Jarrett Coleman of Lehigh County (Comm. of PA)
The chairman, who is a pilot by trade, suggested DOGE could target what he described as a hefty executive branch tab for use of the state plane, which he dubbed "Shapiro-Davis Airlines; Operated by PennDOT."
Clint Barkdoll, a Waynesboro attorney, told NewsTalk 103.7 that he supports the idea of a Keystone DOGE.
"We need this at all levels of government, we’re seeing the benefits that it can bring. Obviously, if it’s set up in a way through the General Assembly, they don’t have to accept the recommendations," Barkdoll said.
"But why not have a body empaneled to make recommendations and make it a diverse group? Get some lay-people on there. It doesn’t have to be all elected officials: Get some business people."
The idea of having civilians on the board alongside public officials would offer wider insight into key issues and considerations, he said.
State Sen. Tina Tartaglione, D-Philadelphia, the ranking member on Coleman’s committee, did not respond to a comment request.
Shapiro also declined comment.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-blue-state-republican-launches-comprehensive-doge-effort-twist