BY MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA |
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THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 13, 2025 |
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I want you to shush your mouth.”
— Elon Musk’s son, X Æ A-Xii, publicly sassing Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Let that kid cook!
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Elon Musk’s DOGE is slicing up the government with reckless speed. Behind the scenes, the operation is a chaotic nightmare.
- Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency isn’t just wreaking havoc in the lives of government employees as it works feverishly to slash the federal workforce. It’s also leaving middle managers grasping for answers, and unsure what to tell nervous career public servants as they desperately seek clarity and reassurance. For a sense of just how chaotically that’s playing out, check out what happened in a series of recent Q&A sessions at a large government agency in New England. What A Day recently obtained the entire list of nearly 300 responses.
- Employees asked: Is DOGE allowed to spy on me? Will I be fired? Do I have to come into the office if I live 50 miles away? Is there enough space for everyone to return? Can I rescind my resignation?
- Top leadership responded, repeatedly: We simply don’t know. DOGE has frozen hiring and offered “buyouts,” in moves that the courts have called questionable at best. The lightning speed has left agencies hardly any time to make sense of how workers might be impacted. As a result, some of the most senior people charged with running the U.S. government (even those who aren’t 19-year-old tech bros named “Big Balls”) are adrift in a sea of uncertainty.
- The Trump administration has repeatedly pledged to find people within the government who are leaking information to reporters (love u guys!). An employee asked how secure their Microsoft Teams, e-mails, and computer drives are. “There shouldn’t be any expectation of privacy. It isn’t monitored, but can be reviewed under certain conditions, like a court order,” a top official responded. When a worker leaves, supervisors and privacy officers will be allowed to dig through their computer.
Officials working with DOGE made it clear that they don’t agree with what Musk is doing.
- One worker asked: How can anyone trust the deferred resignation offer when so many lawmakers and unions have spoken out against it? It’s “insulting,” the person added, slamming the “fear tactics to provoke a reaction into potentially ruining our careers.” In response, management told workers to reject the DOGE buyout, in a rebuke to Musk’s big plan: “We encourage all staff to remain … because we are a team and every person is essential to our efforts.”
- Another worker asked, why aren’t some obviously essential workers (like tech support and finance) considered essential by DOGE? The response: “Just because a position is not on the exemption lists does not mean they are not essential. We do not know what discussions were conducted behind the scenes.”
- As of today, about 75,000 workers (about 3 percent of the federal workforce) accepted the deferred resignation offer — falling extremely short of Musk’s lofty goals.
What’s more, Acting President Musk and Vice President Donald Trump are being careful to not hinder their own business dealings on their quest to root out corruption in the federal government.
Got a tip? Hit me up on Signal at 413-726-4767 or email at [email protected]. I'll keep you totally anonymous! |
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At the hearing today, McMahon said she’s “not quite certain” whether Black history courses would be allowed under the Trump administration. “That’s pretty chilling,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) replied. Black history is American history, in case these people forgot! Trump later said he’d like to close the Department of Education “immediately” because it’s “a big con job.” Ah, yes, free public education is a “con job,” says the man who ran a fraudulent for-profit university that didn’t do any real educating. Always projecting, this guy.
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THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM
Elon Musk’s DOGE gang just got slapped down by a federal judge — but not before infiltrating the Treasury first. If you’re wondering how we let billionaires hijack the government, tune into the newest episode of Assembly Required. This week Stacey Abrams unpacks how Musk and his cronies carved out unchecked power and what we can do about it. With WIRED editor Leah Feiger, they unpack DOGE's grip on the Treasury. Then, Strict Scrutiny’s Kate Shaw joins to answer the big question: is this even legal? Tune in to stay informed and get practical steps on ways you can fight back. Just search for Assembly Required Wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube!
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