Elon Musk and Donald Trump have recently made unsubstantiated claims about deceased individuals over 100 years old receiving Social Security payments. Meanwhile, thousands of federal employees are preparing to leave their positions next week, including civilian workers on probation at the Pentagon and USAID contractors who received termination letters.
USAID's actions add to a month of government attacks on the agency, freezing funds, closing its headquarters in Washington, and canceling aid programs worldwide. Democrats accuse Trump of sowing chaos to divert attention from his economic problems and inflation.
Democratic senators like Chris Van Hollen have criticized Musk's actions, calling them illegal. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers like Mike Lawler question the legality of the layoffs proposed by Trump.
Unions have threatened lawsuits, and agency leaders have encouraged workers not to cooperate. FBI Director Kash Patel has instructed employees to ignore Musk's request for the time being.
Trump seemed unconcerned about the discrepancies between agencies and Musk, mocking federal employees on social media. Musk, for his part, set an ultimatum for workers who do not respond, equating it to a resignation.
Musk's directive and the staff cuts have drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, affecting thousands of employees across various departments. While Musk justifies his request as a way to increase worker productivity, he has faced strong backlash.
Key U.S. agencies have ordered their employees not to comply with Musk's request, creating confusion and chaos among federal workers nationwide. Elon Musk has not provided evidence of the alleged irregularities in government payments.
The resistance of federal employees has led to a potential power struggle among Trump's allies, impacting workers across the country. Despite Musk's directives, many workers have chosen not to respond to his demand.
