At least 21 civil servants have resigned from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), citing concerns that the agency is working to dismantle critical public services in the United States.
In a joint resignation letter obtained by The Associated Press, the employees—who include engineers, data scientists, and product managers—stated that Musk’s appointees lack the necessary expertise to implement the Trump administration’s plans to reduce the federal workforce.
“We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the letter read. “However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”
The resigning employees previously worked at the United States Digital Service (USDS), an agency created under President Barack Obama after the Healthcare.gov launch failures. Many of them came from top tech firms like Google and Amazon, driven by a commitment to improving government technology.
However, their concerns escalated after Trump appointed Musk to lead DOGE. According to the letter, employees were subjected to ideological interviews where anonymous White House officials questioned their political loyalty rather than their technical expertise.
“Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability,” the letter stated.
Earlier this month, around 40 employees were laid off from the office, a move that the resigning staff claim has severely weakened the government’s ability to manage critical systems.
“These highly skilled civil servants were working to modernize Social Security, veterans’ services, tax filing, healthcare, disaster relief, and student aid,” the letter emphasized.
“Their removal endangers millions of Americans who rely on these services every day.”
After the layoffs, about 65 employees remained in the office, but nearly a third of them resigned on Tuesday, citing unwillingness to participate in policies that could compromise Americans’ data security and government operations.
Despite the backlash, Musk has defended DOGE’s mission, framing it as a battle against government bureaucracy. In a post on his social media platform X, he dismissed concerns, stating:
“Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!”
Last week, Musk made headlines at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) when he raised a chainsaw gifted by Argentine President Javier Milei, symbolizing his aggressive stance on cutting government staffing.
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” Musk declared.
However, while DOGE has sought to retain technical talent, its targeted layoffs have primarily affected designers, product managers, human resources personnel, and contractors.
Among those dismissed was Jonathan Kamens, an engineer who publicly supported Vice President Kamala Harris and criticized Musk. Kamens believes his firing was politically motivated.
“I believe that Elon Musk is up to no good,” Kamens said. “And I believe that any data he gains access to is going to be used for purposes that are inappropriate and harmful to Americans.”
The Trump administration’s efforts to reduce government staffing have faced legal challenges, with multiple lawsuits seeking to block attempts to fire or pressure federal workers out of their positions.
As the controversy unfolds, the White House has yet to issue a response regarding the mass resignations at DOGE. However, political analysts suggest this could mark a turning point in the administration’s plans to reshape the federal workforce.
