Trump says Musk should use 'scalpel' not 'hatchet' in govt cuts

by Frankie TAGGART

President Donald Trump responded Thursday to growing criticism over unprecedented cuts to the US government overseen by his billionaire advisor Elon Musk, saying they should be carefully targeted.

"We say the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet,'" Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.

The president's message represents the first move to rein in the power accorded to Musk, as his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) works toward gutting federal staffing and spending.

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But later, directly asked by reporters whether DOGE and Musk are moving too fast, Trump said: "No, I think they've done an amazing job."

While Musk is not the formal administrator of DOGE, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO is nonetheless directing operations and even attended the first cabinet meeting of Trump's second term.

The body's cost-cutting campaign has faced increasing resistance on multiple fronts, however, including court rulings and some pressure from lawmakers.

"DOGE has been an incredible success, and now that we have my Cabinet in place, I have instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost Cutting measures and Staffing," Trump posted.

"As the Secretaries learn about, and understand, the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go."

Trump confirmed reports in the US media that he had convened his cabinet in person on Thursday to deliver the message that they, not Musk, were in charge of their departments.

Trump told his team, with Musk in the room and on board, that the tech billionaire and top donor was authorized to recommend firings and other cuts but not to enforce them, according to Politico.

"It's very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it's also important to keep the best and most productive people," the president said, adding that follow-up cabinet meetings on DOGE would come every two weeks.

- Thousands fired -

Trump's message came with the administration having fired or threatened to axe tens of thousands of workers from numerous federal agencies as it pursues cost savings.

More than two million federal employees received demands from the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) -- the government's human resources department -- and Musk himself that they account for the work they have been doing in a bullet pointed memo or face the sack.

Labor groups quickly opposed the request, with the largest federal employee union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), vowing to challenge any unlawful terminations.

Several recent polls indicate that most Americans disapprove of the disruption to the nationwide federal workforce.

Dozens of lawsuits against Musk's threats or demands have yielded mixed results, with some requests for immediate halts to his executive orders being denied by judges.

Politico said Musk -- who had meetings with Republican lawmakers on Wednesday to reassure them over criticism of DOGE -- acknowledged in front of the cabinet that the task force had made missteps.

Around a third of DOGE staffers had resigned in protest over its methods by the end of February, saying they would not push through demanded changes that put the country at risk.

"We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations," 21 staffers of DOGE wrote in a letter, seen by AFP, to White House chief of staff Susan Wiles.

"However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments," they added.

The cuts have even sparked criticism from the normally staunchly-loyal Senate Republicans, whose leader John Thune preempted Trump by telling CNN on Tuesday that cabinet officials should retain the full control of personnel decisions.