New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte is taking a page from Trump with a DOGE-like commission

CONCORD, NH – The state’s newest governor is getting out firsthand by proposing a new government efficiency commission that appears to be modeled, to some extent, on similar national efforts President-elect Trump.

Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte swing state of New Hampshire, in her inaugural speech Thursday after succeeding longtime Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, pointed to the state’s budget challenges ahead due to drying up of federal aid to states and falling business revenues.

“We’re going to have to find better ways to do things with fewer dollars,” Ayotte said.

The new governor then said: “Knowing that nothing is more difficult than getting politicians to not spend money, I am today announcing the establishment of the Commission on Government Efficiency, or as I like to call it – ‘COGE’.”

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Ayotte argued that COGE will make us smarter than ever before when it comes to saving taxpayer dollars and finding better ways to serve the people of our state.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of his inauguration, Ayotte appeared to tease her proposal by stressing that “we’re looking for new, effective ways to do things better and serve taxpayers.”

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The New Hampshire governor’s move comes nearly two months after Trump was elected, days after winning the presidential election. Elon Muskthe world’s richest person, and former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to run what he called the “Department of Government Efficiency,” better known by its acronym DOGE.

Ayotte’s proposal received much applause from state lawmakers gathered at the New Hampshire Statehouse for the governor’s inauguration. Republicans achieved great success in the November elections as they strengthened their majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“I think it’s a brilliant approach,” Manchester Republican Mayor Jay Ruais, New Hampshire biggest city, said Fox News.

Ruais, who is considered a rising star in his party, stressed “I think appointing a commission like this for any bloat is a perfect approach and it will certainly be of great benefit to the state government and it also certainly helps us downstream in both the local level and .”

New Hampshire Democrats apparently disagree.

“Governor Ayotte hasn’t even been in office for twenty-four hours, and she’s already laying the groundwork for massive budget cuts to the services people rely on. All thanks to years of failed Republican policies she’s championed,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley he claimed.

“During her speech, one thing became clear – Kelly Ayotte is taking a page out of Donald Trump’s book,” Buckley asserted. “Governor Ayotte is following in Trump’s footsteps and taking a dangerous and expensive path for New Hampshire.”

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Ayotte, a former U.S. senator who previously served as attorney general, defeated Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig by nearly 10 points in the November election. Her victory kept the governor’s office in GOP hands.

In her address, Ayotte praised her predecessor whose policies she advocated for continuation.

“New Hampshire is moving in the right direction and no one deserves more credit for that after four terms at the helm than Gov. Chris Sununu. Thank you, Governor,” Ayotte said.

Looking ahead, Ayotte told state GOP legislative leaders, “I look forward to working with you … to bring our Republican majorities together over the next two years to deliver on the promises we’ve made to keep our state moving in the right direction .”

And Ayotte repeated the New Hampshire Republican’s longtime promise that “it will not surprise anyone when I say this: no income tax, no sales tax, not now, not ever.”

But Ayotte also extended an olive branch to Democrats, saying, “My door is always open. Good government knows no party.”

“I will be your governor, regardless of whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, an independent, whatever you want. Because our country is much bigger than a party or an ideology,” she added.

And Ayotte, who faced a barrage of attacks from Democrats on abortion issues during last year’s gubernatorial campaign, repeated her vow to state lawmakers that “if you send me a bill that further restricts access to abortion beyond our current law: I will veto it.”

Abortion is legal in New Hampshire up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Ayotte also made headlines by announcing that she would ban cell phones in public schools.

Pointing to her husband, Joe, a retired Air Force pilot who flew combat missions over Iraq and now teaches high school math, the governor said, “Joe and I talk about what he sees in the classroom and what his students learn all the time. should. He and thousands of teachers across our country are on the front lines of our education system, they should be listened to.

“That’s why I’m announcing today that we will take action to ban cell phones in our schools. Screens have a negative impact on our learning environment, drawing students’ attention,” Ayotte said.

Sununu, in an interview with Fox News Digital on the eve of Ayotte’s inauguration, his last full day in office after eight years and four electoral victories (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the country with two-year terms for governors), praised his successor.

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“Kelly has been a great friend for decades. She will be a fantastic governor of New Hampshire. She is New Hampshire, born, raised, ready to go, starting with a great team here in the state,” Sununu emphasized.

The outgoing governor added that even while he is leaving office, he is always available for advice. “All I could add is she knows she can call and text anytime,” he said.