Budget for Louisiana watchdog agency more than doubles with new emphasis on waste

Spending for the state government’s watchdog agency has more than doubled since Gov. Jeff Landry selected a new leader earlier this year.

The Office of Inspector General’s budget went from $2.2 million to $5.5 million annually in the fiscal year that started July 1, a year-over-year increase of 131%, according to a legislative staff summary. 

Landry chose Angele Davis, previously a state budget czar for Gov. Bobby Jindal, as inspector general in January. She told lawmakers this spring she intends to use $3 million this year to hire outside contractors who can help her find ways to reduce state government spending. 

A similar amount of money was spent on consultants during the first year of Landry’s Fiscal Responsibility Program, launched at the end of 2024. That project was modeled after President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and also set up to root out government waste. Landry has referred to his program as “LA DOGE.”

Prior to becoming inspector general, Davis worked as a private contractor on Landry’s Fiscal Responsibility Program. She and the governor have repeatedly said that effort generated $1 billion of savings for the state, including $600 million in federal funding, $300 million in state funding and $100 million in other public financing. 

Neither the governor’s office nor Davis have detailed where the savings was achieved. For example, a comprehensive list of government contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars the governor’s staff said were reduced or eliminated has never been released.

Those working on the Fiscal Responsibility Program also faced criticism for meeting in private and allegedly violating state transparency laws that required them to convene in public. After the backlash, the group partnered with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, which doesn’t have to hold public meetings, and continued its work out of the public eye.

The governor’s executive order on the initiative directs the inspector general to coordinate with federal partners to enhance fraud detection. The group is also supposed to find ways to leverage databases, artificial intelligence and other new forms of technology to detect government waste.

Many state agencies that oversee public assistance programs are required to appoint a liaison to work with the inspector general on the effort. Those who must participate include the Louisiana Department of Health, Workforce Commission, Department of Education, Economic Development and Department of Children and Family Services.

The Department of Public Safety and Corrections, which oversees the state prison system and Louisiana State Police, does not have to appoint a representative to the group, despite having a combined budget over $1 billion.

Davis said in a text message Monday all state agencies will be subject to the initiative’s requests for information and the inspector general’s scrutiny, regardless of whether they have a liaison working with her.

“No department is excluded from the Louisiana Taxpayer Protection Initiative,” she wrote.