On Monday, Elon Musk expressed his frustration over the perceived incompetence of federal workers and misuse of taxpayer money in a post on X.
What Happened: Musk, who is associated with the Department of Government Efficiency, criticized the inability of some employees to pass a simple email test, which he deemed as a display of contempt for how taxes are being spent.
This post comes in the wake of Musk’s demand that federal employees justify their positions to him via email or risk losing their jobs. This directive, according to Musk, aligns with President Donald Trump’s instructions to eradicate federal waste and fraud. However, this move has been met with resistance, with FBI’s Kash Patel advising employees not to respond to Musk’s request.
Musk said that subject to the discretion of Trump, Federal employees would be “given another chance.” Responding to the right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh, he said, “Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”
Why It Matters: Musk’s role as a senior advisor to Trump has been under legal scrutiny, with allegations of him exercising “virtually unchecked power”. The Trump administration clarified that Musk is not a part of the DOGE team but serves as a senior advisor to the President. This clarification comes as the Trump administration faces a lawsuit alleging Musk's influence is excessive for a non-elected, non-Senate-confirmed individual.
A lawsuit filed by several Democratic states seeks to restrict Musk and the DOGE team from accessing government systems, arguing that Musk's influence contravenes the Constitution. The Trump administration, however, maintains that Musk is not a DOGE employee and does not have the authority to make government decisions himself.
Musk’s recent post and his demands on federal workers are likely to fuel this ongoing controversy. His demand that federal employees submit work summaries or be considered resigned faced swift pushback from agency heads and lawmakers, leading the Trump administration to clarify that responses were voluntary. While Trump defended Musk's move as an efficiency measure, even some Republican senators criticized it as overreach, reported The Hill.
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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal
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