WASHINGTON (AP) — On Tuesday, more than 20 civil service employees resigned from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. These individuals expressed their refusal to use their technical skills to "dismantle critical public services."
"We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations," the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. "However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments."
The employees also warned that many of those enlisted by Musk to help him reduce the size of the federal government under President Donald Trump’s administration were political ideologues who lacked the necessary skills or experience for the tasks ahead.
The mass resignation of engineers, data scientists, and product managers marks a temporary setback for Musk and the Republican president’s tech-driven reduction of the federal workforce. This comes amid a flurry of court challenges seeking to halt or reverse their efforts to fire or coerce thousands of government workers out of their jobs. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
The staffers who resigned were part of what was once known as the United States Digital Service (USDS), an office established during President Barack Obama’s administration following the problematic rollout of Healthcare.gov. All had previously held senior positions at tech giants such as Google and Amazon and felt a duty to public service.
Trump’s empowerment of Musk disrupted that sense of duty. The day after Trump’s inauguration, the staffers were called into interviews that foreshadowed the secretive work of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to the staffers, the interviewers, some of whom did not disclose their identities, questioned their qualifications and political views, creating significant security risks.
Earlier this month, about 40 staffers in the office were laid off, which dealt a blow to the government’s ability to maintain its technological infrastructure. "These highly skilled civil servants were working to modernize Social Security, veterans' services, tax filing, health care, disaster relief, student aid, and other critical services," the resignation letter states. "Their removal endangers millions of Americans who rely on these services every day."
Of the 40 people let go, only one was an engineer—Jonathan Kamens—who believes he was fired for publicly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and being critical of Musk.
Elon Musk's approach to government efficiency, jokingly named after his favorite cryptocurrency meme coin, diverged from Trump’s initial campaign promises. Musk hinted at more changes post-election, posting on his social media site, X, "Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!"
Despite these changes, Musk has aimed to retain technical talent, with layoffs focusing on roles like designers, product managers, and HR staff. However, the loss of experienced personnel has raised concerns about the safety and efficiency of critical government systems.
Established over a decade ago, USDS aimed to improve services for veterans and create government-run portals for tax filings. Though embroiled in bureaucracy fights, its mission was to improve service for the American people, acting on behalf of the White House.
AP video journalist Rodrique Ngowi contributed from Boston.
