Federal workers aren't sure if Elon Musk is done with DOGE -- but they hope they're done with '5 bullets' emails
Source: Business Insider
Apr 24, 2025, 4:21 AM ET
Whether or not Elon Musk actually steps back from the West Wing, federal workers want to know one thing. "Can we stop sending this weekly email now?" an employee at the Internal Revenue Service asked. Business Insider spoke to 17 federal workers after the Tesla CEO said on a Tuesday earnings call that he hopes to devote more time to the company because the "major work of establishing" DOGE is complete. Several referenced the "What did you do last week" email required by Musk's DOGE office since February. Many said they're skeptical that Musk will forfeit his White House influence.
Even if he does, some said Musk's legacy will live on in DOGE through cuts to the federal workforce and government budget. Others are simply hopeful they'll have one less weekly email to send. As a special government employee, Musk is only legally allowed to work for the Trump administration for 130 days a year. Still, the federal workers BI spoke with said they expect him to continue making political headlines.
"My reaction is 'I'll believe it when I see it,'" a programmer at the IRS said, adding, "I believe the richest man in the world has hacked his way into the most powerful government in the world, and there is nobody to stop him from keeping that access, even if he looks 'gone' on paper." A former employee at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that they aren't taking Musk's announcement seriously. An employee at the Office of Personnel Management added that Musk's vow to step back seems like "PR spin."
Other federal workers said that, even if Musk does leave DOGE, his actions will have a lasting impact on the government and its staff. "The effect he's had on the federal government can't be as neatly defined as quarterly earnings reports," the OPM employee said. Several workers expressed concern over reports that DOGE and Musk have access to sensitive information like internal government databases and Americans' Social Security details.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/fed-workers-react-musk-retreat-doge-focus-on-tesla-2025-4
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