A growing coalition of Republicans are beginning to speak out against the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency carrying out mass layoffs across the federal workforce, sometimes using tactics that have been criticized as insensitive, such as a weekend email to all federal employees asking them to detail their accomplishments from the past week.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) (L) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) talk during the confirmation hearing ... [+]
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska: A moderate who was among three senators to buck her party and vote against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s nomination, Murkowski called the email DOGE sent to all federal employees over the weekend asking them to detail five accomplishments from the past week “absurd” in a post on X Monday, then likened the directive to “intimidation” in an interview with NBC in which she urged her colleagues not to let the executive branch usurp congressional authority.
Rep. Richard McCormick, R-Ga.: After he was confronted by constituents at a town hall in his district last week about firings at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, McCormick told NBC in an interview published Monday he would urge Musk to be more “compassionate” in implementing the layoffs.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wisc.: Fitzgerald, who also faced pushback at a town hall last week, said Congress needs more information about DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts, telling NBC, “we don’t know what they’re looking at, and we don’t know what the numbers are . . . I’m learning about this when I see a broadcast as much as anyone else right now, because we haven’t been briefed on it.”
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif.: LaMalfa offered tempered criticism of some DOGE measures, including cuts to agriculture and conservation programs, in an interview with The Washington Post in which he said “there’s been a couple rough patches” with DOGE, but also said “we’ve seen some amazing things that have been turned over.”
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.: “My concern is that we use a scalpel . . . and not use a sledgehammer,” he told The Washington Post, adding, “we have to be really careful that we’re cutting things that don’t hurt everyday people.”
Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah: Curtis also urged Musk to use “compassion” in an interview with CBS on Sunday in which he said “these are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It’s a false narrative to say we have to cut and be cruel to do it as well,” then defended federal workers in a Sunday op-ed for the Deseret News, writing, “I agree with those concerned that the DOGE approach has appeared reckless and rash.”
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine: Telling CNN she’s “very concerned about the impact on the state of Maine,” Collins—who also voted against Hegseth—said last week the DOGE firings “are a big problem.”
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho: Raising concerns about the potential impact of DOGE cuts on national parks, Simpson told the Associated Press “we need to have a conversation with DOGE and the administration about exactly what they’ve done here,” adding “it’s a concern to all of us.”
McCormick and Fitzgerald were among several Republicans confronted by constituents concerned about DOGE in recent town halls, including Reps. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., Tracey Mann, R-Kan., Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, and Nick Begich, R-Ala., ABC News reported. When asked by ABC about the criticism and recent polls that show he has a relatively low approval rating, President Donald Trump insisted Americans “like the job that Elon is doing” and said “it’s actually just the opposite . . . people are thrilled.” Musk also touted on X a recent Harvard CAPS-Harris poll that the majority of voters surveyed (72%) believe there should be a government agency focused on efficiency initiatives, while 60% believe DOGE is helping make major cuts to government expenditures. Other polls have shown mixed results, however, including a Washington Post-Ipsos survey that found 49% somewhat or strongly disapprove of the job Elon Musk is doing and a CNN/SSRS poll that found 54% said it’s a “bad thing” that Musk has a prominent role in the Trump administration.
Musk announced on X Saturday all federal employees would be required to send an email to DOGE stating five accomplishments from the past week and that the administration would assume those who didn’t respond were resigning from their jobs, prompting widespread confusion and directives from some agency heads not to respond to the email. Federal workers received the instructions in an email with the subject line “What did you do last week?” There’s been some mixed messaging about the consequences of refusing to respond—the Trump administration gave agency leaders the discretion to decide whether replies were mandatory, according to Politico, while The New York Times reported the administration told federal agencies responses were “voluntary.” Musk wrote Monday on X that responses were “subject to the discretion of the President.” Trump defended the email on Monday, telling reporters he “thought it was great” and “there was a lot of genius in sending it.”
DOGE has been spearheading mass layoffs at federal agencies, mostly among probationary employees, a class of newly hired workers who are easier to terminate without penalties. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Internal Revenue Service and Transportation Security Administration are among the most recent agencies to be hit with layoffs or threats of layoffs. Many of the firings—and Musk’s authority—are being challenged in court. A group of Democratic state attorneys sued the Trump administration, arguing Musk is an “agent of chaos” who does not have the proper legal authority to exercise broad authority over government decisions. The Trump administration, however, has argued Musk is not a federal employee and that the lawsuit exaggerates his authority.
Here’s Where Trump’s Government Layoffs Are—Highway Safety, FEMA, TSA And More (Forbes)
Elon Musk Says Federal Employees Must Explain Their Work Or Be Fired (Forbes)