Why We’re Bucking Conventional Wisdom and Going All-in on Congressional Reform

When we meet with stakeholders, potential partners, and potential funders, we get lots of nods as we talk about our plans to “measure what matters” and reform federal hiring, firing, technology development, and procurement.

But when we get to the aspects of our platform that require Congressional action — biennial budgeting and appropriations, an end to government shutdowns, the creation of a feedback loop between civil servants and Congress, and big structural reforms to address the root causes of executive branch dysfunction — the nodding stops. Brows furrow.

Former Civil Servants Speak: How to Achieve Real Government Reform in a Post-DOGE World  

Report cover, with a We the Doers logo and the title of the report. Former Civil Servants Speak: How to Achieve Real Government Reform in a post-DOGE World. January 20, 2026.

As the one-year anniversary of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) approached, We the Doers, a new organization of reform-minded former civil servants, convened a panel to answer a single question: “What would it actually take to deliver the federal government the American people deserve – in an efficient, cost-effective manner?” This group’s recommendations, drawn from a combined 88 years of federal leadership experience and described in detail in this report, were far-reaching and innovative: