At a recent press conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox rolled out the state’s own version of the Trump Administration's controversial DOGE initiative.
Utah’s version is called GRIT, which stands for Government Reform, Innovation and Transparency.
“Now this GRIT initiative is really a comprehensive effort to make Utah's government more efficient, more accountable, and more responsive to the people that it serves,” the governor said.
Cox explained that, much like DOGE, the state’s new initiative will examine how state funds are being spent and whether time and resources are being allocated productively. He also said a goal of the initiative was to increase the timeliness and accessibility of public services.
“We want you to know that you deserve a government that listens, adapts, and delivers and that is truly the promise of GRIT," he said. "That's the promise of our administration.”
The governor emphasized that, while it may seem like his administration is copying DOGE, Utah has already been doing some version of its work for years.
“We do DOGE like six times a year in this state," he said. "Every single year we DOGE the hell out of our budget — every single year. We were DOGE before DOGE was a thing. We were DOGE when it wasn't cool, and we will be DOGE long after it is cool.”
One of the key differences, Cox said, is that DOGE has been focused almost entirely on cutting spending — sometimes at the expense of outcomes. GRIT, by contrast, allows for strategic increases where necessary. Because slashing budgets, the governor said, sometimes makes things worse.
“Sometimes you actually have to add people to get the right outcome," Cox said. "You'll find that that's a piece as well — so it's about making sure that the taxpayer dollars are being spent in the most efficient way. Sometimes that means cutting. Sometimes that means increasing.”
The governor also stressed that GRIT won’t involve sweeping layoffs, though some staff and programs can expect to be restructured.
