Mass Resignations Hit Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency Over Controversial Changes
In a stunning move, nearly a third of staffers at Elon Musk’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have resigned in protest, citing concerns over the department’s sweeping changes that they believe put the nation at risk.
In a letter sent to White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, the 21 departing employees, former members of the United States Digital Service (USDS), stated, “We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations. However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”
The resignation of these staff members has sent shockwaves through the government, as they accuse Musk of orchestrating a political overhaul of federal operations.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has been at the helm of DOGE since its creation on January 20, when it was transformed from the USDS into a department focused on reducing federal staffing and government spending.
Though Musk holds no formal government title, he serves as a “special government employee” and “senior adviser to the president,” granting him significant influence over federal operations.
Musk has dismissed the resignations, calling the departing staff “political holdovers” who refused to return to the office as mandated by President Donald Trump. “They would have been fired had they not resigned,” Musk remarked on X, the platform he owns.
The employees, however, paint a troubling picture of the transition process. In their letter, they described the shift as chaotic and hastily executed, with staffers subjected to interviews by unknown individuals questioning their political loyalty and sowing division among team members.
The tension reached a boiling point on February 14 when about one-third of USDS employees were abruptly dismissed via anonymous email, including those working on vital programs like Social Security, veterans’ services, and disaster relief platforms. The letter warned that these firings jeopardized the safety of millions of Americans who rely on these services.
“We cannot, in good conscience, participate in efforts to compromise core government systems, endanger Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle essential public services,” the letter read.
The controversy comes just days after Musk initiated a mass email to the federal workforce, demanding that all 2 million government employees justify their work or face potential dismissal. While many departments urged employees to ignore the email, it raised alarms about the future of federal workers’ job security.
Meanwhile, engineers at DOGE are reportedly developing new software to facilitate mass firings within the federal government, particularly targeting workers with less job protection. Thousands of employees, many still in probationary periods, have already been let go since Trump’s inauguration.
The mass resignations and Musk’s controversial leadership are raising questions about the future of the federal workforce, government transparency, and the risks posed to critical public services.
As the situation unfolds, it’s clear that DOGE’s approach to government efficiency is deeply dividing opinions and threatening to reshape how federal agencies operate.
