More than 20 civilian employees resigned in protest of the Department of Government Efficiency on Tuesday—the twist being that they technically worked for DOGE itself. The 21 staffers shared a resignation letter with the AP in which they said they would no longer use their tech skills to "dismantle critical public services." Details:
- Those who resigned originally worked for what was known as the United States Digital Service, which was set up after the botched rollout of ObamaCare. The office was folded into DOGE after President Trump took office in January.
- The employees say they first had to undergo interviews that seemed more about politics than IT. "Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability," the staffers wrote. "This process created significant security risks." The letter is posted on the "We Are the Builders" website, per the Hill.
- These 21 were left after about 40 co-workers were laid off, but now they're out, too. "We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans' sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services," they wrote. "We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE's actions."
- Musk, meanwhile, has doubled down on his controversial demand that federal employees detail their work duties in an email, reports CBS News. "Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance," he tweeted Monday evening. "Failure to respond a second time will result in termination." The renewed threat came after various federal departments instructed their employees to ignore the first warning.
- "It's bedlam," one IRS employee tells CNN of the confusion among federal employees to the contradictory directives. Trump himself called Musk's email "ingenious" on Monday and said those who didn't respond would be "semi-fired or fired."
(DOGE
will use AI to assess the responses in the emails.)
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uBlock 
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Ghostery 
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