Elon Musk’s cost-cutting task force is disrupting federal agencies, leading to widespread confusion and disorder in the opening weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term. Musk has seized control of the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment systems, threatening to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), proposing a “buyout” plan for federal employees, and sidelining career civil servants at times, even locking them out of their offices or computers. Along with declaring war on the department, Musk set a deadline for Thursday that federal employees have to take a “buyout.” He is looking to discourage and wear down his enemy.
Musk has arranged for an unprecedented financial incentive for people to leave their government jobs, promising several months of pay in return for their resignation. Musk is bullying them with online taunts, and officials and Trump’s administration have been pushing staff to accept the postponed resignation program while persuading them with promised paid vacations and threatening that there will be layoffs if they do not leave.
Many of the workers are hesitant to take the offer because they feel as if it is too good to be true, which is understandable. You want me to resign, and you are going to pay me for it, but the whole reason for you asking me to resign is because you want to budget the spending. I understand later in life, you will be saving money because you will have fewer workers to pay, but first, you have to pay all the workers you want to resign, so I understand why some of the workers are hesitant because are they really going to keep their word?
What Elon Musk is doing is insane compared to what they are trying to specifically acquire, and these few days that Trump has been in office, there are so many events that many people would not think would happen so fast.
On Tuesday, some federal employees got an email from POLITICO; a commissioner at a department overseen by Musk’s allies warned of the impending pain if they do not leave.
Josh Gruenbaum, who manages the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, said, “We won’t need staff in certain areas of the country,” and they “will be cutting redundant business functions and associated staffing.” He also mentioned that they are considering how they can utilize AI in our portfolios.
It is very strange that they are trying to put people out of their jobs and trying to figure out where to put AI because they want to keep more money for themselves. It is not to help the country; it is to help themselves. They are not thinking about all the families they are taking money away from.
Musk is causing so much chaos and confusion for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate members with his announcements on X about which departments he will be targeting next as Trump gives him free rein to create chaos. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the Senate’s phones were receiving 1,600 calls each minute, compared with the usual 40 calls per minute.
Many of the calls she has been receiving are from people concerned about U.S. DOGE Service employees having broad access to government systems and sensitive information. The callers are asking whether their information is compromised and why there is no more transparency about what is happening.
They have gotten even more calls than they have ever had because of Elon Musk and what he is messing around with within the federal government. They recently stated that they can hardly answer the phones fast enough. It is a combination of fear, confusion, and heartbreak because of the importance of some of these programs. Knowing Musk is causing all this commotion and Trump is allowing it shows the volume of what kind of people they both are.
One of the most important complaints is Musk’s readiness to challenge or dismiss the regulatory frameworks that have traditionally governed industries. For instance, discussions on how fast self-driving technology should advance have been sparked by Tesla’s quest for autonomous driving. Comparably, SpaceX’s quick satellite launches and advancements in space research have sparked worries about security and the environment.
Lawmakers who feel compelled to protect the public interest are irritated by Musk’s opposition to conventional government regulation and preference for greater freedom to innovate. Much of the uncertainty and mayhem on Capitol Hill is caused by this misalignment of priorities, as lawmakers find it difficult to draft legislation that keeps up with the rapid speed of his commercial endeavors.
Musk’s activities and comments on social media, particularly on X, significantly complicate his dealings with lawmakers. His tendency to make contentious remarks, frequently without thoroughly considering the consequences, has caused problems for both his businesses and government representatives.
Musk’s public character often prevents legislators from engaging in fruitful dialogue, whether it is through his opinions on free speech, his criticism of government agencies, or his contentious remarks on a variety of subjects. In this sense, his noisy presence on Capitol Hill may be more related to his ability to stir emotions and cast doubt on an already complicated political environment than it is to his actual efforts.
Musk is causing all of this chaos and confusion, and Trump is just letting him do whatever he pleases, and that makes me wonder, is Trump being controlled like a puppet? Why does Elon Musk have any place in the White House, friend or not? Musk is not even a politician, just a billionaire who owns Tesla Inc., SpaceX and X.
Trump gave Musk authority because he donated the most money, so now, he is cutting spending in the government, which are forcing people out of a job.
Heartily, I feel as though he most definitely has an ulterior motive, but also he is literally doing what he wants as long as the world sees Trump backing him up; they cannot really do anything but be suspicious.