I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jessica Hill from the Las Vegas Review-Journal to talk about the launch of DOGE NEVADA and the work we’re doing to expose waste, fraud, and abuse in state and local government spending. You can read the full article by clicking here.

DOGE NEVADA was born out of necessity. I’ve followed limited government voices like Ron Paul and Thomas Massie for years. But what pushed me to act was the clear lack of meaningful audits or spending oversight in our state. Nevada has created portals like the State Controller’s Open Finance site, which shows everything from state payrolls to checkbook transactions. That’s a great start. But raw data sitting on a server doesn’t mean anything unless someone is reviewing it—and that’s where we come in.

Our team of coders, economists, and researchers are writing custom code to scan millions of transactions across those portals. We’re identifying questionable payments, unusual vendors, and expenditures that don’t align with the core needs of Nevadans. And when something looks off, we follow up with public records requests. When the facts come together, we publish our findings—so the public can decide whether their money is being spent wisely.

For some, that kind of transparency is uncomfortable. State Treasurer Zach Conine said our efforts are a “Trojan horse” and that we’re “cosplaying” as government watchdogs. That’s fine. We didn’t launch DOGE NEVADA to win political points—we launched it because taxpayers deserve answers. I provided several examples of how these internal audits have proven worthless over the years.

The truth is, Nevadans already believe there’s waste. A Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll released March 31, 2025, found that 68% of voters support cutting $1 trillion in federal expenditures and believe our current level of government debt is unsustainable. That’s not a partisan issue—it’s reality.

And here in Nevada, we’re still facing critical shortfalls. We rank near dead last in education. Affordable housing is a crisis. Our teachers are underpaid. So yes—when millions are spent on decorative park projects or an “interpretive walk” while basic needs go unmet, we’re going to question it.

As I told the Review-Journal, “Absolutely I think that instead of pickleball courts or instead of creating an interpretive walk at a state park, maybe we should look at affordable housing. We should look at paying teachers more, improving our 48th in the nation education rankings.”

We’ve created an anonymous whistleblower reporting tool at https://www.dogenv.com/report-wasteful-spending/ where public employees, contractors, or concerned citizens can share legitimate tips about potential misuse of funds. This tool is already getting traction, even as we filter out spam and verify credible submissions.

DOGE NEVADA isn’t affiliated with the federal DOGE. We are a state-focused, nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog—and we are just getting started. We believe in using digital tools to empower citizens, educate voters, and drive real change. We believe in accountability, and we believe that public money should serve the public good.

To those working inside government who are doing their best with limited resources—thank you. We’re not your enemy. But to the bad actors, the bloated contracts, the unchecked grants, and the pet projects with no return on investment—we’re watching.

Support our work. Share our mission. And if you believe that a better Nevada starts with smarter spending, join us. Because this fight is just getting started.

To continue this work, we need your help. If you believe in smarter government, transparency, and real accountability, please consider making a donation by CLICKING HERE or sharing our mission with others. Every dollar helps us dig deeper, expose more, and build a Nevada that works for the people—not just for the bureaucracy.

— Brandon Davis
President, DOGE NEVADA