Even though President Trump’s Cabinet secretaries were hand-picked because they support the President’s plans, they’ve expressed consternation at the power he’s given to Elon Musk. Their initial rebellion was understandable, since Musk appeared to co-opt some of their power. Their pointed response to one action was telling:
Musk ruffled feathers when he posted on X last month that all federal employees would receive an email demanding details of their work from the past week -- a move that caught some in the Trump administration off guard and caused widespread confusion, sources told ABC. It created tension among members of Trump’s Cabinet, as multiple agency heads told their employees to hold off on replying until they themselves were briefed on the situation.
Fortunately, Trump took the hint and realized that he needed to clarify the power distribution between Elon Musk and the secretaries. The first step he took was to explain Musk’s limited authority, compared to the authority his cabinet officials have over their agencies:
Following on reports from earlier on Thursday that Trump told cabinet secretaries are ultimately in charge of hiring and firings at their agencies, not Musk, the AP reports that, in private talks, the billionaire told lawmakers experiencing blowback for the firings of thousands of federal workers, including veterans, whose decisions are left to the various federal agencies.
In this case, both lawmakers and agency heads were told the facts about Musk’s role.
At the same time, Trump told his Cabinet members that they held the authorization to hire and fire, but they’d best act quickly, because he is not changing his agenda to cut the bloat in government:
President Trump on Thursday stressed that his Cabinet secretaries take the lead on making cuts to their agencies and staff, insisting that officials are empowered to make decisions before Elon Musk can step in.
‘I want the Cabinet members, go first, keep all the people you want. Everybody that you need,’ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
He added, ‘I want them to do the best job they can, when we have good people that’s precious, that’s very important and we want them to keep the good people. So, we’re going to be watching them. Elon and the group are going to be watching them. If they can cut, its better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.’
Those who sit around and don’t prioritize the staff they want to keep will be at the mercy of Musk. They are now on notice.
Even more encouraging is that Musk will be meeting every two weeks with the Cabinet secretaries. On so many levels, this will aid Trump in fulfilling his agenda for reducing waste, fraud and abuse, because authority has been clarified.
Trump has also reiterated his commitment to this government-cutting agenda. He’s built in accountability for the secretaries, as well as for Musk. Communications should greatly improve, with secretaries and Musk sharing concerns, disagreements, questions, and suggestions on a regular basis. Instead of the Cabinet heads feeling victimized by Musk’s actions, they can now partner with Musk to meet their goals.
The DOGE efforts have upended the federal government, creating a sense of chaos and confusion. As a result, it will be important in moving ahead to ensure that leaders in the process understand they are all on the same team.
