On Tuesday, 21 technology-focused civil servants resigned from the U.S. Digital Service, rebranded as the United States DOGE Service by Elon Musk and President Trump, protesting efforts to implement drastic federal government changes. The resignations, reducing the unit’s size by a third, were motivated by concerns over compromising core government systems and jeopardizing sensitive data. In a letter to Trump’s chief of staff, the group expressed their refusal to support DOGE’s actions, which they believe contradict the mission of enhancing federal technology services. This move is part of a broader resistance from federal workers against Trump’s and Musk’s radical government overhaul.
On Tuesday, a cohort of 21 technology-savvy civil servants chose to resign instead of assisting with a series of changes to the federal government being advocated by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.
These government staff members had been part of the U.S. Digital Service, a tech-oriented division situated within the executive branch, which has been rebranded by Mr. Musk and President Trump as the United States DOGE Service. The resignations have diminished this unit, which was already facing downsizing, by approximately one-third.
“We refuse to use our technological skills to compromise essential government systems, endanger the sensitive data of Americans, or dismantle vital public services,” stated the group in a letter to Susie Wiles, Mr. Trump’s chief of staff. “We will not lend our expertise to endorse or facilitate DOGE’s initiatives.”
As reported earlier by The Associated Press, these resignations occur amidst Mr. Musk and his associates embarking on a significant reconfiguration of the federal government’s size and operations, which includes layoffs, contract terminations, and attempts to close entire agencies. Recently, Mr. Musk created uncertainty for millions of government employees by issuing a directive requiring them to account for their work from the prior week as a condition of job security. Some Trump appointees instructed their agency employees to disregard Mr. Musk’s directive, which left workers grappling with conflicting messages about compliance.
The large-scale resignation from the technology unit marks the latest effort by federal employees to oppose President Trump and Mr. Musk’s sweeping government reforms. Other civil servants have participated in public protests, initiated lawsuits, and even captured footage of staff members working with Mr. Musk’s team in attempts to identify them.
“The actions of DOGE — dismissing technical experts, mishandling sensitive data, and disrupting critical systems — stand in stark contrast to their claimed mission of ‘modernizing federal technology and software to enhance governmental efficiency and effectiveness,’” the letter stated. “Such actions are incompatible with the mission we joined the United States Digital Service to fulfill: to provide improved services to the American populace through technology and design.”