President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to repeat his slogan about a new "golden age of America," but applied it to the broad government spending and staff cuts.
"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. 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 wrote.
When he came into office, Trump created the "Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)" by executive order. That initiative has been behind the upheaval and dismantling of government agencies. Websites, grants, programs, and employees have been cut or frozen under the promise that Trump will save taxpayers trillions.
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The reality is that many Americans have angrily denounced the cuts and have flooded local town hall meetings to berate Republican lawmakers. The Veterans Administration, for example, will cut staff by around 80,000 people, which critics have charged will result in needless deaths.
Trump went on to claim, "We just had a meeting with most of the Secretaries, Elon, and others, and it was a very positive one. 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."
As members of the National Weather Service and NOAA staff recently explained, cuts so far have been based on the length of time someone has held their current position and whether it was within the probationary period. It didn't consider if they'd previously held another position and been promoted to that new post.
Musk has been on a rampage throughout the federal workforce and it is leaving its mark on the entire American economy. As reported by Reuters on Thursday, the number of announced layoffs in the United States has "jumped to levels not seen since the last two recessions."