US agency leading Musk's firing spree to hire new driver, emails show
Source: Reuters
March 31, 2025 12:14 PM EDT Updated 6 hours ago
WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - The federal human-resources agency leading efforts by billionaire White House adviser Elon Musk to slash the federal workforce has decided to hire its first new career employee since President Donald Trump took office, according to emails seen by Reuters. The position is a new driver to ferry around leaders of that agency, the Office of Personnel Management, the emails indicate.
OPM's acting director, Chuck Ezell, last week authorized an exemption to a government-wide hiring freeze to replace one of two drivers for agency leadership after one retired in mid-March, according to the messages. The decision, not previously reported, shows that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which is directing the cuts, is not making the government more effective, said Kathleen Clark, a professor of ethics at Washington University in St. Louis.
"It is becoming increasingly obvious that Musk’s & DOGE’s mission has absolutely nothing to do with efficiency, and instead is aimed at enabling Musk to use - and abuse - power within the federal government," she said. "Authorizing a Musk-controlled agency like OPM to hire a driver while slashing essential federal workers who actually help Americans in need is a good example."
The White House, DOGE, Musk and Ezell did not respond to requests for comment. An OPM spokesperson said in a statement that the agency "has ongoing security concerns" requiring a driver, without providing further detail. Ezell said he has received death threats in the role in an interview last month with byFaith, which describes itself as the Magazine of the Presbyterian Church in America.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-agency-leading-musks-firing-spree-hire-new-driver-emails-show-2025-03-31/
Waste.