LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claims to have saved taxpayers $115 billion through wide-scale layoffs and the closure of numerous federal offices. The move has stirred confusion and legal battles across the United States, including in central Kentucky.
Jonathan Shaub, an associate professor of law and public policy at the University of Kentucky, said that the scale and nature of these federal workforce reductions are unprecedented.
"Nobody’s seen something like this before, where there is sort of wide-scale layoffs and entire agencies that are in effect being shut down," Shaub said.
He emphasized the uncertainty surrounding these closures, as some agencies lose funding without prior notice.
Here in Kentucky, DOGE has earmarked the termination of leases for 16 federal buildings, including three in Lexington.
Those include an Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation & Enforcement (OSMRE) on Regency Road, a Farm Service Agency office on Leestown Road, and an undisclosed Small Business Administration (SBA) office.
The total anticipated savings from these closures amount to nearly $1 million. However, some of these closures are already causing confusion.
As of this week, both the Farm Service Agency and OSMRE have confirmed their Lexington offices are still open. Additionally, there is no record of an SBA office in Lexington listed for closure, adding to the uncertainty surrounding DOGE's announcements.
The legality of DOGE's widespread closures is being contested in federal courts.
"Congress has appropriated money for many of these programs, and when they're shut down, people have gone to court to challenge them," Shaub said.
"It's very difficult, though, once you tear something down or fire people for a court to then order to restart funds if they've already been shut down, and people have already not gotten paid."
For Shaub, teaching constitutional law amid the changes is challenging.
"Interesting is one word for it. Some of the students are asking me to explain what's happening, and I'm trying to keep up as much as anybody," he stated.
In the meantime, both Shaub's students and federal workers in Kentucky are left in a state of suspense.
LEX 18 reached out to the Small Business Administration for comment regarding the DOGE closure listed in Lexington and have not yet received a response. Both the USDA's Farm Service Agency and the Department of the Interior's OSMRE have confirmed they are operating as usual.
