Several civil service employees have resigned from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying they’re refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services,” the Associated Press reports.
“We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services,” 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter. “We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE’s actions.”
The staffers that resigned include engineers, data scientists and product managers. They all worked for an agency previously known as the United States Digital Service (USDS).
Musk fired about 40 staffers from the USDS earlier this month and integrated the remaining 65 into DOGE. Now 21 of those 65 has resigned.
“We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter. “However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”
The employees also warned that many of the people enlisted by Musk to help cut cost were political ideologues and Musk fanboys who do not have the necessary skills or experience for the job.
Jonathan Kamens, a former engineer at USDS who included in the initially 40 employees cut by DOGE, told the AP that he believes he was fired for publicly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and criticizing Musk.
“I believe that Elon Musk is up to no good. And I believe that any data that he gains access to is going to be used for purposes that are inappropriate and harmful to Americans,” Kamens said.
