Texas committee copies Elon Musk’s DOGE, at least in its title (Photo by Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows moved some members of his audience to tears Thursday.

He spoke as the crowd ate scrambled eggs with brisket and pico at the annual summit of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, one of the most influential conservative think tanks in the United States. Since its inception 35 years ago, TPPF has advocated for “school choice,” a system that generally diverts public education dollars toward private school tuition.

During his keynote, Burrows announced, “as I’m speaking, and we timed this perfectly, House Bill 3 has been filed. … Our moment has arrived, and we have the momentum on our side to get this done.”

The bill would establish a voucher-like education savings account program. Forming such a program is Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priority this legislative session, and Donald Trump and Elon Musk have put their weight behind it. Last week, Musk named Burrows specifically in an X post urging the Texas House to pass “school choice.”

But Musk’s influence in the Texas House is broader than that.

Burrows told the crowd Thursday that in the Texas House of Representatives, he has formed the state’s own DOGE. Inspired by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, Texas’ Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency is made up of eight Republicans and five Democrats.

“We’re going to cut red tape,” Burrows said Thursday. “We need to be looking down at our own inefficient government as well. Yes, we do have inefficiencies in our own legislature.”

Burrows praised the committee chairman Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, as “literally made for this committee.”

“I spoke with him yesterday. He has already found great, great opportunities,” Burrows told the crowd. “I predict Gio is going to make headlines every single month and week that he is in there for the next two years rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. And I’m really excited to see what he does.”

On Feb. 14 Capriglione tweeted a photo of a dodgeball bearing the Texas flag. He wrote: “The 5 D’s of Doge: doge, discover, disrupt, deliver, doge. Members of the Texas House Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency are already working hard and making plans to deliver!”