The unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is likely violating the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) with their “Join DOGE” form on the doge.gov website.
In order to be compliant with the Paperwork Reduction Act, all government agencies who want to collect information from more than 10 people must estimate how much burden the collection will create (the number of hours spent times the number of expected responses) and get permission from the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).
Getting the approval can be a lengthy process (six to nine months including a public comment period), but most agencies have a generic clearance which allows them to fast track certain types of collections like forms, surveys, and usability tests. Once cleared on the fast track, generally a maximum of four days, OIRA gives the agency’s collection a control number that must be displayed with the form. The form also must have a way for the public to contact the agency regarding the collection.
Lambert here: “A screenshot of the DOGE Join form taken on March 26, 2025 with no OIRA issued control number or way to contact DOGE about the collection.”
If DOGE is a government agency, then the rules and regulations that apply to government agencies are applicable to DOGE. If DOGE would like to know more about how the government works, please let us (We The Builders) know and we would be happy to make sure that your engagements with the public are lawful, transparent, and efficient. We would hate for you to have to throw out all those applications from such a potential hardcore applicant pool. Also, glad to see you are hiring designers again. A designer or two might help you improve the accessibility of your form and encourage you to include information about your compliance with the Equal Opportunity Employment Act, which is also currently a law in America.
Lambert here: Ouch!