Elon Musk is not in control of your departments; you are. President Donald Trump personally met with his Cabinet on Thursday to convey this message.
Two administration officials said that Trump informed senior members of his administration that Musk had the authority to advise the departments but not to make decisions on personnel and policy on his own. Musk was present as well.
The meeting came after the billionaire Tesla creator, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, threatened government employees and fired numerous employees in a row, leaving the federal government and its staff in a state of general anxiety.
In addition to fierce legal opposition, DOGE’s actions have drawn criticism from several Republicans and Democratic MPs.
Musk’s mission has been significantly narrowed for the first time with the president’s statement. Trump’s new guideline states that DOGE and its employees should serve as advisors, but Cabinet secretaries should ultimately decide on matters of personnel, policy, and implementation schedule.
Musk entered the discussion and said he agreed with Trump’s order. Musk told members of Congress earlier this week that DOGE had made some mistakes, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting.
Trump emphasized that he does not want to fire competent federal employees in large numbers; rather, he wants to retain good people in government. However, in a series of sweeping layoffs, his administration has dismissed tens of thousands of federal employees from a wide range of departments in recent weeks. Both the chair of a federal civil service board and a federal court have determined that the terminations may have violated civil service statutes and were not related to performance difficulties.
It’s unclear if the new guidelines will lead to the rehiring of laid-off employees.
Following the publication of this report, Trump wrote about the meeting on Truth Social and pledged to have such gatherings every two weeks.
He wrote, “The Secretaries can be very specific about who will stay and who will leave as they learn about and comprehend the people working for the various Departments.” Instead of saying “hatchet,” we say “scalpel.” Together, Elon, DOGE, and other outstanding individuals will be able to accomplish things at a level never seen before.
I want Cabinet members to “keep all the people you want, everybody that you need,” the president later told reporters.
“If they can cut, it’s better,” he added, adding that Musk will continue to be a power center. Furthermore, Elon will cut if they fail to do so.
Musk referred to the discussion as “very productive” after retweeting a Trump article.
According to one person, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) recently stated on CNN Tuesday that Cabinet secretaries should have complete hiring and firing authority, which affected the schedule of the meeting. According to the official, Trump has received other such complaints from Cabinet secretaries and other politicians.
The president’s warning to agency leaders may have an effect on DOGE’s growing legal scrutiny.
The Trump administration’s reluctance to clarify who is leading the bureaucracy-cutting initiative and whether Musk is involved in ordering up the drastic cuts to jobs and programs has caused judges to become more and more frustrated and perplexed.
Trump further complicated the situation by claiming in his speech to Congress on Tuesday that Musk is the “head” of DOGE, a claim that instantly had an impact on a number of the legal disputes involving Musk. Trump’s claim ran counter to the White House’s legal defense last month that Musk lacked the autonomy to decide on policy.
Judges will now have to determine if the legal challenges to DOGE’s work are resolved by Trump’s post-event description of Musk’s role.
It occurs at the same time that some of those lawsuits enter a new round of fact-finding that may provide further light on the SpaceX CEO’s role in government operations.
In order to have a better understanding of DOGE’s operations, a federal judge last week requested sworn evidence from a few DOGE officers and affiliates. Additionally, two cases in Maryland and Washington, D.C., that are intended to halt Musk himself are also hitting significant milestones.
According to those complaints, Musk has been acting in an unconstitutional capacity as a government official who has not received Senate confirmation.