Even if Elon Musk envisages the exit, federal workers say that anxiety and financial chaos caused by DOGE will be held long after the end of his mandate.
After Politico reported that the richest man in the world could leave his post of de facto chief of the office of the White House Doge soon, Business Insider was maintained with 16 current and recently dismissed federal employees who wonder what it means for the future of their agencies – while most are clear of their disgust for Musk himself.
“Obviously, my reaction is a good storage room,” said an employee of the staff management office. The employees asked for anonymity for fear of reprisals or because they were not allowed to speak, and Bi checked their identity.
Musk was a vocal defender to dismiss federal employees and reduce government budgets. Some federal workers who voted for Trump previously told Bi that they support efforts to make the government more effective but feels “betrayed” by generalized jobs and upset by the role of Musk.
The White House has denied that Musk plans to step back from the cost reduction effort, BI leader to a position on X by the press secretary Karoline Leavitt: “Elon will go away from the public service as an employee of the special government when its incredible work in Doge is finished.” No calendar has been given. The representatives of Doge did not respond to a request for comments from BI, and Musk said on X: “Yeah, false news”.
As a special government employee, Musk is legally authorized to work for the government for at most 130 days a year. Most Bi employees spoke to doubt that a faster departure would make a big difference.
Five current and former employees told BI that they thought that Musk will always influence the Doge Office operations, even if it technically abandons its government role. As we say, he “will always pull the puppet ropes – whether inside the White House or outside.”
Others said they had not seen a lot of daylight between Musk and his allies, such as the director of the Office of Management and the Russell Vought budget and the young staff of the Doge.
“I guess he comes out earlier because it cost him more and his businesses than he had planned, for which I am happy. I hope he never recovered completely,” said an employee of the Noaa.
The political report occurs while Tesla’s stock fluctuated in the middle of the growing Musk power in the west wing. Deliveries of the company’s first quarter were much lower than analysts’ estimates, and the shares have dropped by around 30% this year. Even if the president defended Tesla on the lawn of the White House, the owners of the vehicles put them on ground sale. Yesterday, a conservative judge lost a key election in the Wisconsin – despite more than $ 12 million from the Musk PAC.
On Sunday, at the Town Hall, Musk said that his role in the Trump administration “costs me a lot”. Meanwhile, some federal employees are skeptical that it would leave its influence from the government.
“Perhaps on paper, they will say that someone else is in charge, but in reality, it will always be a musk,” said an IRS employee. An employee of NASA predicted that Musk would simply use X to “put pressure on anyone who did not do what he wants”.
Eight employees said they hoped for the news was true. However, many of those who welcomed Musk’s departure have also said that Doge had already made a major and lasting brand on the federal government.
After so much layoffs, an employee of the Institute of Museum and Library Services said that the departure of Musk “would be a hopeful panel to maintain the federal workforce, but so much damage has already been done. We need more people to help us proactively rather than waiting for him to leave.”
Noah Sheidlower and Ayelet Sheffey contributed the reports.
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