DOGE Staffers Resign And Warn That Musk Associates Lack Skills To Achieve Their Goals

Close to two dozen civil service employees working at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) resigned from their posts on Tuesday, issuing stark warnings about the purpose of the agency and the lack of skill of those tasked with carrying it out.

In a joint letter, 21 staffers said they refuse to use their expertise to help "dismantle critical public service" and that those joining DOGE head Elon Musk in his goal of slashing government spending neither have skills or experience to face the goal.

"We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations," the group wrote in a letter, saying it has "become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments."

The workers are part of what used to be the United States Digital Service, an office set up during President Barack Obama's administration in the aftermath of the chaos that ensued after millions were unable to sign up for insurance plans in his signature health care law.

Those resigning are engineers, data scientists and product managers. The Associated Press reported. They claimed to have had senior roles in large tech companies and signed up to their positions out of a sense of duty. They also told the outlet that people wearing White House visitors' badges grilled them about their background and political orientation, also showing lack of understanding of the work the agency did.

"Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability," reads a passage of the letter.

"We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans' sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services," they wrote. "We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE's actions," the letter adds.

Musk has not reacted to the resignations publicly. He has continued to actively use his X account, reposting messages defending DOGE's actions and others criticizing political opponents.

A new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showed that an overwhelming number of American voters are supportive of DOGE's actions, with 83% of respondents in favor of reducing government expenditures over hiking taxes. Moreover, over three-quarters demand a "full examination of all government expenditures." And 70% believe government expenditures are packed with "waste, fraud, and inefficiency.

However, over half (58%) believe "DOGE employees should not have access to sensitive information on Americans who benefit from government expenditure programs," including individual names, social security numbers, addresses, and incomes.