Trump imposes new restrictions on Elon Musk
The president gathered his secretaries, along with Musk, to clarify the balance of authority.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet in person on Thursday to deliver a clear message: You’re in charge of your departments, not Elon Musk.
According to two administration officials, Trump told top members of his administration that Musk was empowered to make recommendations to the departments but not to issue unilateral decisions on staffing and policy. Musk was also present during the meeting.
This gathering followed a series of mass firings and threats directed at government employees by the billionaire Tesla founder, who oversees the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), creating widespread uncertainty within the federal workforce.
DOGE’s actions have faced intense legal challenges and criticism from Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans.
The president’s message marked the first significant step to limit Musk’s authority. Under Trump’s new direction, DOGE and its staff are expected to adopt an advisory role, while Cabinet secretaries should take the lead on decisions regarding personnel, policy, and implementation timelines.
Musk participated in the discussion and confirmed his agreement with Trump's directive. According to a source familiar with the meeting, Musk recognized that DOGE had encountered some mistakes — a sentiment he had already expressed earlier in the week to Congress members.
Trump emphasized his desire to retain skilled federal workers and not to eliminate capable personnel en masse. However, his administration has recently dismissed tens of thousands of federal employees across various agencies. A federal judge and the chair of a federal civil service board have both determined that these terminations were not related to performance issues and may have breached civil service laws.
Whether this new guidance will lead to the reemployment of those laid off remains uncertain.
Following the meeting, Trump shared information on Truth Social, vowing to hold similar gatherings every two weeks.
"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," he wrote. "We say the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet.' The combination of them, Elon, DOGE, and other great people will be able to do things at a historic level."
Trump's spokesperson, Harrison Fields, remarked that Trump “sets the agenda for the entire administration, and everyone is committed to implementing that mission in a unified fashion."
The timing of this meeting was influenced by recent comments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who stated on CNN Tuesday that Cabinet secretaries should maintain full authority to hire and fire, according to one official. This official noted that Trump has received similar concerns from other lawmakers and Cabinet members.
The president’s message to agency heads might affect the increasing legal scrutiny regarding DOGE.
Judges have voiced their frustration and confusion over the Trump administration’s failure to clarify who leads the bureaucracy-vacating initiative and whether Musk plays any role in the significant cuts to programs and positions.
To complicate matters, Trump asserted during his address to Congress Tuesday that Musk is the “head” of DOGE, a statement that reverberated across several court cases focused on Musk. This assertion contradicts the White House’s prior representation in court, which indicated that Musk had no independent authority to make policy decisions.
Judges will now need to determine if Trump’s subsequent characterization of Musk’s role resolves the existing legal challenges facing DOGE’s operations.
This comes as some of those lawsuits enter a new phase of fact-finding that may provide greater insight into Musk’s involvement in government operations.
Last week, a federal judge mandated sworn testimony from DOGE officials and affiliates to gain a clearer understanding of the group’s functions. Simultaneously, two lawsuits targeting Musk — one in Washington, D.C., and another in Maryland — are reaching critical stages.
These cases allege that Musk has been wielding an unconstitutional level of power as a government official who lacks Senate confirmation.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
According to two administration officials, Trump told top members of his administration that Musk was empowered to make recommendations to the departments but not to issue unilateral decisions on staffing and policy. Musk was also present during the meeting.
This gathering followed a series of mass firings and threats directed at government employees by the billionaire Tesla founder, who oversees the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), creating widespread uncertainty within the federal workforce.
DOGE’s actions have faced intense legal challenges and criticism from Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans.
The president’s message marked the first significant step to limit Musk’s authority. Under Trump’s new direction, DOGE and its staff are expected to adopt an advisory role, while Cabinet secretaries should take the lead on decisions regarding personnel, policy, and implementation timelines.
Musk participated in the discussion and confirmed his agreement with Trump's directive. According to a source familiar with the meeting, Musk recognized that DOGE had encountered some mistakes — a sentiment he had already expressed earlier in the week to Congress members.
Trump emphasized his desire to retain skilled federal workers and not to eliminate capable personnel en masse. However, his administration has recently dismissed tens of thousands of federal employees across various agencies. A federal judge and the chair of a federal civil service board have both determined that these terminations were not related to performance issues and may have breached civil service laws.
Whether this new guidance will lead to the reemployment of those laid off remains uncertain.
Following the meeting, Trump shared information on Truth Social, vowing to hold similar gatherings every two weeks.
"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," he wrote. "We say the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet.' The combination of them, Elon, DOGE, and other great people will be able to do things at a historic level."
Trump's spokesperson, Harrison Fields, remarked that Trump “sets the agenda for the entire administration, and everyone is committed to implementing that mission in a unified fashion."
The timing of this meeting was influenced by recent comments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who stated on CNN Tuesday that Cabinet secretaries should maintain full authority to hire and fire, according to one official. This official noted that Trump has received similar concerns from other lawmakers and Cabinet members.
The president’s message to agency heads might affect the increasing legal scrutiny regarding DOGE.
Judges have voiced their frustration and confusion over the Trump administration’s failure to clarify who leads the bureaucracy-vacating initiative and whether Musk plays any role in the significant cuts to programs and positions.
To complicate matters, Trump asserted during his address to Congress Tuesday that Musk is the “head” of DOGE, a statement that reverberated across several court cases focused on Musk. This assertion contradicts the White House’s prior representation in court, which indicated that Musk had no independent authority to make policy decisions.
Judges will now need to determine if Trump’s subsequent characterization of Musk’s role resolves the existing legal challenges facing DOGE’s operations.
This comes as some of those lawsuits enter a new phase of fact-finding that may provide greater insight into Musk’s involvement in government operations.
Last week, a federal judge mandated sworn testimony from DOGE officials and affiliates to gain a clearer understanding of the group’s functions. Simultaneously, two lawsuits targeting Musk — one in Washington, D.C., and another in Maryland — are reaching critical stages.
These cases allege that Musk has been wielding an unconstitutional level of power as a government official who lacks Senate confirmation.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
