Elon Musk and DOGE Defend Mass Federal Layoffs: “Almost No One Has Gotten Fired”

Elon Musk and seven staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), defended their efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce.

In a recent interview on Fox’s “Special Report” with Bret Baier, Musk and DOGE officials explained that “almost no one has gotten fired” as part of their overhaul strategy.

Anthony Armstrong, a former Morgan Stanley banker now working for DOGE at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), elaborated, stating that most workers have left voluntarily.

“There’s voluntary early retirement. There’s voluntary separation payments. We put in place deferred resignation, the eight-month severance program,” he said.

Armstrong emphasized that “less than 0.15 of the federal workforce has actually been given a RIF [Reduction in Force] notice,” contrasting the media narrative that many workers were fired. He echoed Trump’s sentiment, stating that DOGE’s approach is “a scalpel, not a hatchet.”

Musk, too, supported the view that the workforce changes have been more about efficiency than termination.

“Basically, almost no one has gotten fired. That’s what we’re saying,” he added.

DOGE’s goal of improving government efficiency includes not only cutting jobs but also restructuring departments, such as efforts to dismantle USAID. However, a recent court ruling indicated that DOGE’s actions regarding USAID may have been unconstitutional.

Musk noted, “In the context of the government, we’re moving like lightning. In the context of what I’m used to moving, it’s slower than I’d like.”