Elon Musk denies blame for federal job cuts, says agencies decided

Photo : AP

Billionaire Elon Musk told Republican leaders that he is not the reason thousands of federal workers lost their jobs, including many veterans. He said that different government offices made these choices, not him. Musk is helping the government find ways to save money and remove waste, but he does not decide who gets fired.

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Some Republicans support Musk’s work but are also worried about job losses in their communities. After a meeting with Musk, Rep. Richard Hudson said, “Elon does not fire people. He does not have the power to hire or fire anyone. The president only asked him to find where the government is wasting money.”

Musk, who is known for running big companies like Tesla and SpaceX, now has an important job in the government. Many people admire him, while others fear the changes he is making.

President Trump also spoke about the job cuts. He told government leaders to be very careful about who they remove. “We must use a scalpel, not a hatchet,” Trump said, meaning that they should make small, smart cuts instead of removing many workers at once. He also said Musk and government officials will meet every two weeks to discuss their plans.

Some people say Musk is trying to take too much control over government jobs, which should be handled by Congress. There are now legal fights about whether these job cuts are fair.

A government office told agencies to fire workers who were still in their trial period and did not have full job protection. This led to thousands of people losing their jobs, but later, some were asked to return, especially those working on important projects like nuclear weapons.

A judge in San Francisco raised concerns that the government did not follow the rules when firing these workers. Now, Trump’s team says individual agencies made the decisions, not Musk.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, who met with Musk, said Musk told them that he did not fire anyone. Instead, the government offices made mistakes when removing workers. When asked if Musk thought they had “messed up,” Gimenez said, “If they fired important workers by mistake, then yes, they messed up. But Musk did not do it.”

Musk and his team have been checking different government offices, looking at important documents, and asking tough questions. Some top officials quit their jobs instead of following Musk’s orders. Many workers also left their jobs early, while others were forced to leave.

“We are making good progress,” Musk said as he walked quickly through the Capitol.

Musk is known for taking big risks and making fast decisions in business. But working in the government is different. The job cuts have caused legal problems, and many people are unhappy about how things are being done.

During a lunch meeting with senators, Musk said he was not responsible for the firings. Senator Rand Paul agreed and said the agencies made their own decisions.

Rep. Andy Barr said that Musk explained to lawmakers that his department did not tell agencies to fire all workers in their trial period. Instead, some agencies made mistakes or tried to create problems for Musk’s team.

Because of these mistakes, many fired workers are being asked to return. For example, 180 employees from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) got emails saying they could come back to work. The email had an urgent message: “Read this email immediately.”

Musk was invited to speak to lawmakers because many of them are facing angry voters in their home states. House Speaker Mike Johnson even told some Republican lawmakers to meet with voters in private rather than holding big public meetings.

To help clear up confusion, Musk gave senators his personal phone number and is setting up a special phone line. Lawmakers can call this number if they have questions or want to protect certain jobs from being cut.

The debate over Musk’s role in government job cuts will likely continue, with more legal fights and political arguments in the coming weeks.