DAVE could cut deep: What NC lawmakers buried in spending bill

You might have heard that the North Carolina General Assembly just passed a "minibudget" bill — House Bill 125 — at the end of July. It’s still awaiting the governor's signature, and tucked inside that bill is something that sounds small but could have big consequences: the creation of a new office called the Division of Accountability, Value and Efficiency, or DAVE.

Its job? To decide whether state agencies and public jobs are “still needed.” But make no mistake: This is not about improving how government works. It’s a backdoor strategy to justify more cuts to public services.

This mirrors the  federal effort called DOGE, initially led by billionaire Elon Musk, which promised to cut waste but ended up slashing vital programs ranging from research to address maternal mortality to weather forecasting that informs disaster preparation, while vastly overstating the “savings” it achieved. . DAVE sets North Carolina up to repeat those mistakes — cutting first, asking questions later.

DAVE would live under the State Auditor’s office. By October 1 of 2025, every state agency would be required to send DAVE a report explaining how they spend money and listing any jobs that have been vacant for six months or more. Then, using vague criteria and tools like artificial intelligence, DAVE will decide what should stay — and what should go.

By the end of the year, DAVE would send recommendations to the General Assembly about which state agencies or positions should be eliminated. The division can repeat this process annually through the end of 2028 when it would be dissolved.

Here’s why that’s a problem:

• It duplicates work already being done. The Office of State Budget & Management already tracks state spending.
• It’s expensive and unfunded — for everyone but DAVE. Agencies are expected to do extra work compiling reports and data with no extra resources. Meanwhile, DAVE gets $6 million a year and up to 45 staff.
• It opens the door to arbitrary cuts. The bill’s instructions for state agencies and for DAVE are extremely vague.  Without clear standards, decisions could be driven by politics — not community needs.
• It ignores the real reason for vacancies: low pay. Many state jobs are vacant not because they aren’t needed, but because years of underfunding from the General Assembly means that salaries aren't competitive. .

Public services — safe roads, clean water, strong schools, health clinics —  matter to all of us. When those services are weakened, it’s everyday people who feel it most, especially in rural areas and communities already short on resources.

This new division isn’t about smarter government — it’s about shrinking it. At a time when North Carolinians need strong public services more than ever, lawmakers should be investing in people and programs, not setting them up to fail. Like DOGE, DAVE would operate with little public input or oversight, making decisions that affect people’s lives without being accountable to the communities they serve.

We must reject this harmful approach and demand real solutions — like making sure corporations and the wealthiest pay what they truly owe — so we can strengthen public systems instead of undermining them.