By 
About one third of employees at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have resigned, warning that recent changes could harm essential public services.
In a resignation letter to White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, 21 staffers stated they could no longer uphold their commitment to serving the American people. The employees, originally part of the United States Digital Service (USDS), said the transition under Musk’s leadership created a hostile environment and threatened critical government functions.
Musk, while holding no official title, plays a key role in DOGE and is expected to attend President Trump’s first cabinet meeting. He dismissed the resigning staff as “political holdovers” unwilling to return to office work.
By Ruvarashe Gora
The departures follow reports of a chaotic restructuring, with workers subjected to loyalty based interviews and abrupt firings via anonymous emails. Many of the dismissed employees were responsible for maintaining vital services like Social Security and healthcare. In their letter, the departing staff warned that their removal could put millions of Americans at risk.
Tensions escalated after Musk sent an email demanding federal employees justify their positions or face termination. Some agencies instructed staff to ignore the directive, but concerns grew as reports surfaced of DOGE developing software to expedite the firing of government workers, potentially affecting thousands hired since Trump’s inauguration.
Founded in 2014 under President Obama, USDS was established to improve federal digital services. The resigning employees stated they could not support changes they believe compromise government systems, data integrity, and public trust.
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