More than 20 employees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) resigned on Tuesday, expressing their refusal to participate in Elon Musk’s technological overhaul of federal services.
This group, consisting of technologists formerly from major tech firms, represented approximately one-third of the U.S. Digital Service. The office was restructured and renamed DOGE by Musk after the administration of President Trump. Musk had previously dismissed about 40 digital service employees following his takeover of the office.
The remaining staff members have joined a collective known as WeTheBuilders, a newly formed initiative by federal workers who oppose the administration’s efficiency plans and seek to share insights about DOGE’s changes. They describe themselves as “The official resistance team of the U.S. Digital Service.”
In a joint resignation letter addressed to the chief of staff, the Digital Service employees stated, “We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations. However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments… We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services.”
The departing employees raised concerns over security, reporting incidents in January where unaffiliated White House visitors aggressively questioned them about their political views while hinting at proposed changes under Musk. They argued that DOGE’s firings and management of sensitive data contradicted its mission to modernize federal technology.
Recently, Musk directed federal employees to submit a documented report on their work or consider resigning. The Office of Personnel Management later clarified that compliance with this request is voluntary.
The White House quickly responded to the resignations, downplaying the criticisms. “Anyone who believes that protests, lawsuits, and lawfare can deter our objectives must be out of touch with reality,” stated a White House representative. “We remain committed to making the federal government more efficient and accountable to the American taxpayers.”
