Musk and Trump sell a Bridge to Federal Workers
So they say . . . It was all a bad misunderstanding. So . . . if this is all a misunderstanding, give the fired people back their jobs . . . if they will take them back.
“Elon Musk tells Republicans he isn’t to blame for mass firings of federal workers”
Elon Musk is telling Republican lawmakers in private meetings that he is not to blame for the mass firings of federal workers that are causing uproar across the country, while Donald Trump reportedly told his cabinet secretaries on Thursday that they are ultimately in charge of hiring and firings at their agencies – not billionaire aide Musk.
The two powerful figures appeared to be making parallel efforts to distance Musk from radical job slashing made over the last two months. This is despite the tech entrepreneur boasting about cuts, recommending the US “delete entire agencies” and taking questions on the issue alongside the US president, then wielding a chainsaw at an event to symbolize his efforts – all amid legal challenges and skepticism from experts.
Musk said in private talks with lawmakers who are experiencing blowback from constituents angry over the firings of thousands of federal workers which includes military veterans. Various federal agencies make these decisions. The Associated Press reports.
Despite copious evidence that Musk has acted as if he has the authority to fire federal workers, the representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who leads the House Republicans’ campaign arm, said on Thursday:
“Elon doesn’t fire people. He doesn’t have hiring and firing authority. The president’s empowered him to go uncover this information, that’s it.”
That came as Trump told his cabinet that Musk’s authority lay in making recommendations to departments about staffing, not making unilateral decisions on that, Politico reported.
The new Trump administration created and then expanded the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) and put the unelected Musk in charge of it, with a mandate to slash jobs and costs across the federal government despite critics’ outcry about a growing US oligarchy.
Trump reiterated earlier this week in a joint address to Congress. Musk is the head of Doge, which was quickly introduced as evidence in one lawsuit against the job cutting, and despite recent claims to the contrary from Musk and the administration.
It’s a remarkable shift of emphasis away from the chainsaw-wielding tech entrepreneur whose vast power has made him an admired, revered and deeply feared figure in the second Trump administration.
Trump said on Thursday that he had instructed department secretaries to work with Doge but to “be very precise” about which workers would stay or go, using a “scalpel rather than a hatchet”.
He later told reporters at the White House:
“I don’t want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut.”
Then, after suggesting that cabinet and agency leaders would take the lead, he said Musk could push harder down the line. Trump added . . .
“If they can cut, it’s better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.”
Elon Musk and Texas governor celebrate firing of worker over pronouns in email signature
Trump puts new limits on Elon Musk’s authority amid backlash to DOGE cuts