President Trump delivers remarks during a Cabinet meeting on February 26, at the White House in Washington, D.C. The meeting featured Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who leads a cost-cutting initiative aimed at improving government efficiency.
In a recent Cabinet meeting, President Trump expressed concern over the approximately 1 million federal employees who failed to respond to requests detailing their accomplishments, indicating they may be “on the bubble” for job security.
During the meeting, Trump welcomed Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, as he spearheads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk indicated that federal employees should anticipate another email to confirm their employment status.
“We’re going to send another email,” Musk stated.
Trump supported Musk’s initiative, stating, “Those people are on the bubble.” Approximately half of the federal workforce did not respond to the initial email campaign sent out over the weekend.
Musk described the follow-up emails, which asked employees what they accomplished in the previous week, as a simple “pulse check.” He suggested, without providing evidence, that taxpayer dollars may be going to nonexistent employees.
At the Cabinet meeting, Musk, wearing a “Tech Support” shirt, discussed the goals of his efficiency initiative.
“We believe there could be individuals on the payroll who are deceased, causing their lack of response, and even fictional characters who are receiving paychecks,” Musk elaborated.
The communication prompted confusion among federal employees, leading to tension within Trump’s Cabinet as some advised their staff against immediate responses. Trump, however, emphasized that the Cabinet supports the initiative, jokingly warning those who disagreed could be dismissed from the meeting.
“For the most part, everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled,” Trump remarked.
Musk, with a “tech support” shirt underneath his jacket, denoted DOGE as a supportive role in the administration, with ambitions of cutting $1 trillion from the nearly $7 trillion federal budget this year to achieve fiscal balance.
Furthermore, Musk acknowledged his team’s oversight in dismantling Ebola prevention initiatives as part of budget cuts but confirmed those efforts have now been restored.
