21 staffers from the DOGE resigned, saying that they wouldn’t help dismantle public services

Elon Musk and the Digital Service: Why Do Federal Employees Resign? A Presidential Response to Musk’s “Digital Service Misdemeanor”

A group of 21 career civil servants whose team was folded into Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency resigned on Tuesday, writing in a joint letter posted publicly that they refuse to use their skills to put Americans’ data at risk and “dismantle critical public services.”

When Musk started his initiative from within the White House, he renamed the United States Digital Service and the federal workers were a part of it. The Musk-led unit has laid off thousands of workers and moved to dismantle entire agencies in a slash-and-burn campaign to reduce the size of government.

In the letter addressed to White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, the government employees wrote that they swore an oath to the Constitution to serve the American people but that “it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments at the United States DOGE Service.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the 21 DOGE workers resigning en masse, in a statement: “Don’t let the door kick you on the way out,” she said.

Over the weekend, Musk prompted widespread confusion after millions of government workers received an email from the Office of Personnel Management asking them to account for what they did in the past week in the form of five bullet points. Musk indicated on X, the social media site he owns, that not responding could result in job loss.

Federal agencies gave conflicting advice on whether or not employees should respond to the OPM message. There is pending litigation about whether Musk, as a senior adviser to the president, has the legal authority to make decisions himself.

DOGE’s Jonathan Kamens, a Digital Security Engineer, is Outraged by the DOGE “Boundary Management Error“

The office laid off 40 employees last week, and the DOGE employees noted that in their Tuesday letter. They had been working on improving the technical systems behind Social Security, veterans’ services, disaster relief and other government functions.

Among the 40 who were terminated earlier this month was Jonathan Kamens, a DOGE engineer who said he believes he was targeted for publicly endorsing Kamala Harris for president.

More than a decade ago, the U.S. Digital Service made the government better to serve everyday people. “Elon Musk is not interested in any of that.” All he cares about is seizing power and making his obscene fortune even larger.”

On Friday, according to the letter, Musk’s lieutenants, some wearing White House visitor badges, refused to identify themselves and asked the staffers questions about their political loyalties and technical skills. “This process created significant security risks,” the group wrote in the letter.

Have information you want to share about the ongoing changes across the federal government? Bobby Allyn is available via the encrypted messaging app Signal at ballyn.77

Verge’s Adi: The Case for a Democratic Secretary of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) During Oath

He is a tech and policy editor that is focused on virtual reality, online platforms and free expression. The Verge’s Adi has covered video games, biohacking, and more for more than two years.

The White House has named Amy Gleason as the acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It was delivered by a White House official to CNBC and other media outlets, following days of obfuscation in courtrooms and the press. It designates a target for the legal challenges over access and freezing of government funds, and potentially shielding its high-level leader.

This extends to statements made under oath in weeks of courtroom drama — as numerous state attorneys general and private actors argue that DOGE is operating illegally, while the government seeks to insulate Musk and avoid naming anyone the challengers could sue. A February 17th court filing asserted that Musk had “no actual or formal authority” in DOGE. Later, in a hearing on February 24th, Department of Justice lawyer Bradley Humphreys told Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly that he didn’t know if anyone led the organization at all.