Mass resignations at DOGE after staff refuse to be part of cutting public services – News

A group of 21 civil servants resigned today rather than help implement changes to the federal government as requested by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

“We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press. “However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”

There has been chaos in government departments this week as federal staff decided to comply or not comply with a request from DOGE to explain what they did in a working week. DOGE’s mission is to downsize the federal government, thereby cutting costs, but the implementation has already created divisions.

The people who resigned today were part of the U.S. Digital Service, a technology-based unit in the executive branch. Under President Trump, the unit’s name was changed to the United States DOGE Service. After layoffs and now the resignations, it has lost about a third of its workforce.

“We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services,” the group wrote in the letter, which was addressed to Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff. “We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE’s actions.”

Confusion reigns right now. Though it’s been generally accepted that Elon Musk (pictured) is making these decisions and acts as the DOGE head, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a meeting today seemed to suggest otherwise: that he’s merely acting as an adviser. As for who is actually running DOGE, she said, “I am not going to reveal the name of that individual from this podium.”

It’s possible DOGE’s head could be Amy Gleason, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as a U.S. Digital Services senior adviser, although she has refused to comment on the matter. However, it’s broadly believed Musk is pulling the strings.

After a lawsuit filed by a group of state attorneys which called Musk an “agent of chaos” with “virtually unchecked authority,” the Justice Department said Musk “has no greater authority than other senior White House advisors” and can’t “make government decisions himself.”

Unsurprisingly, Musk’s reaction to the resignations was dismissive, writing on X today that the story was “fake news,” suggesting the staffers were “Dem political holdovers” who “would have been fired had they not resigned.” Kate Miller, a DOGE official, also took to X, writing, “These were full remote workers who hung Trans flags from their workplaces.”

“Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years,” Leavitt said of the resignations. “President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers.”

Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr