Reining in? Trump defends DOGE but says dept heads control firings, not Musk

Is Trump reining in Musk, finally? US President Donald Trump on Thursday (March 6) addressed mounting criticism over sweeping government cuts led by billionaire advisor Elon Musk, stressing that staff cuts should be carefully targeted.

In what could be seen as the first move to rein in the seemingly unlimited power accorded to Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Trump on Truth Social wrote: "We say the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet'," while emphasising that department heads—not Musk—would ultimately control personnel decisions.

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Trump-Musk at odds?

No, Trump and Musk are not at odds, if one goes by the tone of his Truth Social post.

At the outset, the US president supported DOGE and its chief.

According to a recent AP report, Musk in private talks told lawmakers this week that the firings of thousands of federal workers, including veterans, are the responsibility of individual agencies, not him.

"DOGE has been an incredible success, and now that we have my Cabinet in place, I have instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost-Cutting measures and Staffing. As the Secretaries learn about, and understand, the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go," said Trump.

According to Politico, Trump also conveyed directly to his cabinet, with Musk in attendance, that while the DOGE chief can make recommendations, the ultimate authority lies with his officials.

Federal workforce in turmoil

As part of the administration’s effort to streamline government operations, tens of thousands of federal workers have already been dismissed or face termination. Millions of employees received directives from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Musk, demanding justification for their roles in bullet-pointed memos—or risk losing their jobs.

Meanwhile, Musk, facing a backlash from within his task force, admitted to missteps during a meeting with Republicans on Wednesday (March 5).

According to Politico, nearly a third of DOGE's staffers resigned by February, citing concerns that the drastic measures endangered national stability.

"We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations," 21 DOGE members wrote in a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, reported the AFP news agency. "However, it has become clear that we can no longer honour those commitments," they wrote.

(With inputs from agencies)