On Tuesday, February 25th, over 20 employees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) tendered their resignations. The employees stated they no longer wished to contribute to the technological transformation of federal services under the leadership of Elon Musk.
These individuals were previously employed by tech behemoths like Google and Amazon. They made up about a third of the U.S. Digital Service, a government department that was absorbed and renamed as DOGE by Musk after President Trump took office. Musk had earlier terminated nearly 40 digital service employees after assuming control of the department.
The remaining team members voiced their concerns via WeTheBuilders, a newly-formed group and website. The site is run by current and former federal employees who criticize Trump’s plans for federal efficiency and share insider information about DOGE’s reorganization. The members refer to themselves as “The official opposition team of the U.S. Digital Service.”
In a joint resignation letter addressed to Trump’s chief of staff, the employees stated, “We took an oath to serve the American people and uphold the Constitution across different presidential administrations. However, it is now evident that we can no longer honor those commitments… We refuse to use our technological skills to undermine core government systems, endanger Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle essential public services. We will not lend our expertise to support or validate DOGE’s actions.” The Associated Press obtained the letter.
The employees also mentioned that unidentified White House visitors who declined to reveal their identities visited the Digital Services offices in January. These individuals aggressively questioned current employees about their political views and expertise, hinting at Musk’s impending overhaul. The staff described these actions as a worrying violation of security protocol.
Just last week, Musk sent a bulk email to federal employees, instructing them to submit a detailed report of all the work they completed over the previous week or effectively resign. The federal government’s human resources department, the Office of Personnel Management, announced that responding to the email is “voluntary.”
The White House swiftly reacted to the DOGE resignations, disregarding the group’s criticisms. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “Anyone who believes protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will dissuade President Trump must have been living under a rock for the past several years. President Trump will not be deterred from fulfilling his promise to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers.”
