“We will not use our technical skills to weaken” the state apparatus: around twenty American officials integrated into the workforce managed by Elon Musk, commissioned to slash in public spending and the federal administration, presented their collective resignation Tuesday February 25 in a letter addressed to the White House.
Their grouped departure represents a reduction of nearly a third of the Dogey staff, the now famous commission for government efficiency supervised by the multimillionaire who has become inseparable from Donald Trump, to which the Republican President gave shape from the day of his inauguration , January 20.
“We have sworn to serve the American people and to respect our oath in power in power. Nevertheless it has become obvious that we can no longer honor these commitments,” write 21 federal officials in a letter consulted by AFP, addressed To the Director of Cabinet of the White House, Susie Wiles. “We will not use our technical skills to weaken crucial government IT systems, compromise sensitive data from Americans, or dismantle essential public services,” they hammer.
Before the return to power of Donald Trump, these resigning agents worked for a preexisting department of the Federal Administration, the United States Digital Service (USDS), responsible for 2014 for the improvement of digital government services. But their service was absorbed by the DOGE, made up of a group of faithful from Elon Musk.
Chaotic transition
Since then, USDS employees have been associated with the brutal offensive against the federal administration presented as anti-bureaucratic and intended to save money from the American taxpayer. A mission supervised by the richest man in the world – even if the administrator is not formally. The American media report Tuesday evening that it is Amy Gleason.
Proof of his decisive role, if Elon Musk has “only” the status of “special government employee” and no formal portfolio, he will attend the first council of ministers in the new power on Wednesday.
In their letter, the 21 resigners come back to what they describe as a chaotic transition crossed since the return to the presidency of Donald Trump in three key dates. First, on January 21: they tell “15-minute interviews with individuals wearing visitor badges from the White House” the day after the New York billionaire. “Several have refused to decline their identity, questioned us about political loyalty, tried to put us against each other, and showed their limited technical skills.”
Then, on February 14: “A third of our colleagues were dismissed in a discretionary manner by an anonymous email”. “Highly qualified officials who were working to modernize” Social Security and Health Care, the response to disasters, student or even tax aid. Their “referral endorses millions of Americans who rely on these daily services” and explains their personal data to more risks.
“If they had not resigned, they would have been fired”
Finally on February 16: “Doge representatives began to integrate us into their operations”. “DOGE actions – DEAGEMENTS OF TECHNICAL experts, poor manipulation of sensitive data, breakage of major IT systems – contradict its mission displayed to” modernize technology and federal software and maximize government efficiency and productivity ‘ , they denounce.
“If they had not resigned, they would have been fired,” reacted Elon Musk on his social network X to minimize the impact of their group departure. Their collective resignation comes at a time when the two million federal officials received an email entitled “What did you do last week?” who enjoins them to answer under penalty of being sent back. A few weeks earlier, it was an incitement to the deferred resignation, against salary and benefits maintained until September, which had been presented to them.
What will be the next step? According to the American magazine WiredDOGE engineers are currently working on software that would simplify the dismissal procedure for officials better protected than those during trial period, who were the first targets of the new power.