Republican senator calls on Musk to demonstrate ‘compassion’ for employees
Sen. John Curtis emphasized the significance of individual experiences, stating: ‘These are real people. These are real lives.’
TroibNews 
Sen. John Curtis expressed his reservations regarding Elon Musk’s strategy for reducing the federal workforce on Sunday, emphasizing that Musk's initiative, DOGE, should incorporate “compassion” for the affected employees.
“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk it's: Please put a dose of compassion in this,” Curtis remarked on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” He underscored the reality of the situation by noting, “These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It's a false narrative to say we have to cut and be cruel to do it as well.”
Curtis was responding to Musk's assertive efforts to downsize the federal government as the head of DOGE, which include advocating for the reduction or elimination of federal agencies and pursuing access to sensitive government databases.
Recently, federal employees were sent an email on Saturday requesting a summary of their accomplishments over the past week, with Musk indicating in a post on X that a lack of response would be interpreted as a resignation.
“It's not unusual in a corporate setting to have people report and explain what they're doing, especially if they're working from home,” Curtis noted concerning the email. “But I will double down on the fact that we don't need to be so cold and hard, and let's put a little compassion and dignity in this as well.”
While critiquing Musk’s methods, Curtis still highlighted the pressing responsibility of the Trump administration to meet its promises to Americans by taking decisive action to reduce federal spending, stating, “We've tried for years to do this gracefully.”
Additionally, Curtis — who was elected to the Senate last year to succeed retiring Sen. Mitt Romney — shared his apprehensions in a Saturday op-ed for Utah’s Deseret News. He warned against characterizing federal workers negatively in the pursuit of meaningful reform.
“We also shouldn’t discount or vilify the good people who work diligently for the American people even in the face of poor leadership in bloated bureaucracies,” he wrote in the Deseret News. “I agree with those concerned that the DOGE approach has appeared reckless and rash, and that we should show more compassion and dignity to those affected by its mission.”
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk it's: Please put a dose of compassion in this,” Curtis remarked on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” He underscored the reality of the situation by noting, “These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It's a false narrative to say we have to cut and be cruel to do it as well.”
Curtis was responding to Musk's assertive efforts to downsize the federal government as the head of DOGE, which include advocating for the reduction or elimination of federal agencies and pursuing access to sensitive government databases.
Recently, federal employees were sent an email on Saturday requesting a summary of their accomplishments over the past week, with Musk indicating in a post on X that a lack of response would be interpreted as a resignation.
“It's not unusual in a corporate setting to have people report and explain what they're doing, especially if they're working from home,” Curtis noted concerning the email. “But I will double down on the fact that we don't need to be so cold and hard, and let's put a little compassion and dignity in this as well.”
While critiquing Musk’s methods, Curtis still highlighted the pressing responsibility of the Trump administration to meet its promises to Americans by taking decisive action to reduce federal spending, stating, “We've tried for years to do this gracefully.”
Additionally, Curtis — who was elected to the Senate last year to succeed retiring Sen. Mitt Romney — shared his apprehensions in a Saturday op-ed for Utah’s Deseret News. He warned against characterizing federal workers negatively in the pursuit of meaningful reform.
“We also shouldn’t discount or vilify the good people who work diligently for the American people even in the face of poor leadership in bloated bureaucracies,” he wrote in the Deseret News. “I agree with those concerned that the DOGE approach has appeared reckless and rash, and that we should show more compassion and dignity to those affected by its mission.”
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
