Monday17 February 2025
vesti.org.ua

Musk's aides restricted government officials' access to a crucial database, according to Reuters.

Elon Musk's assistants, who are in charge of managing the U.S. government's human resources department, have restricted access to computer systems for career civil servants. These systems contain personal information of millions of federal employees.
Помощники Маска ограничили доступ госслужащих к важной базе данных, - сообщает Reuters.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine referencing Reuters. The article is also covered by Kontrakty.UA.

The agency reminded that following his inauguration 11 days ago, President Donald Trump initiated a significant overhaul of the government. He dismissed and suspended hundreds of civil servants as part of his initial steps to reduce the bureaucratic apparatus and appoint more loyal individuals.

Thus, billionaire Elon Musk, whom Trump tasked with reducing the workforce of 2.2 million civil servants, quickly found allies in the agency known as the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed Reuters that certain senior career staff within the Office were stripped of access to some of the agency's information systems.

According to the officials, these systems contain a vast database called "Enterprise Human Resources Integration." The database includes birth dates, Social Security numbers, evaluations, home addresses, salary levels, and work history of civil servants.

"We have no idea what they are doing with the computer and data systems. This raises significant concerns. There is no oversight. It creates real threats to cybersecurity and hacking," one of the officials said.

Officials affected by this decision can still log into the system and access functions such as email. However, they can no longer view the extensive datasets covering all aspects of the federal workforce.

The Office of Personnel Management has sent out memos that avoid the usual dry formulations of government communications, as they encourage civil servants to consider buyout offers to resign and take leave to a "dream destination."

Don Moynihan, a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, stated that the actions within the Office raise concerns about Congressional oversight of the agency and how Trump and Musk view the federal bureaucracy.

"This significantly complicates understanding what is happening for those not in Musk's inner circle at the Office," Moynihan said.

Elon Musk's Influence

A team consisting of current and former Musk employees took charge of the Office of Personnel Management on January 20, the day Trump was inaugurated.

According to one Office employee, they moved sofas to the fifth floor of the agency's headquarters, where the director's office is located and access is only permitted with a pass or accompanied by security. The sofas were arranged so that the team could work around the clock.

Elon Musk, a well-known demanding boss, set up beds in the X office for employees to work longer hours when he took over the social media platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022.

"It feels like a hostile takeover," an Office employee told the agency.

According to officials, the new leaders of the Office of Personnel Management moved the agency's chief executive, Kathy Malagh, from her office to a new office on a different floor.

The relocation of Musk's aides to the Office and the unrest in the Treasury building on Friday, provoked by other aides of the businessman, underscore his immense influence in the government.

David LeBrik, a senior career official at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, will leave his position after a conflict with Musk's allies, who requested access to payment systems.

The new team at the Office includes software engineers, including Brian Bield, who joined Musk's SpaceX in 2003 as an avionics engineer and later became the vice president of the company's human resources. Bield serves as a senior advisor at the Office.

Acting head of the Office of Personnel Management Charles Ezell has been sending memos to all federal employees since Trump's inauguration. Notably, on Tuesday, he offered federal employees the option to resign with an eight-month salary payout.

"No one here knew these memos would come out. We found out about these memos at the same time as the rest of the world," one official told Reuters.

Among the members of the Office leadership team is Amanda Scales, a former Musk employee who is now the chief of staff.

In one of the memos sent by Ezell on January 20 and 21, Scales instructed agencies to identify federal employees on probation, and department heads were asked to email her at the Office.

Another senior advisor is Riccardo Biazini, a former engineer at Tesla and recently the director of The Boring Company, Musk's tunnel construction company in Las Vegas.

Notable Decisions by the Trump Administration

After Donald Trump took office as President of the United States, his administration made several decisions that created a scandalous resonance.

On January 24, the U.S. suspended the issuance of grants for financial aid to other countries.

On January 27, media reported on the unblocking of these programs, but the White House denied this information.

Additionally, the Trump administration is considering cutting the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It is possible that it will be transferred under the control of the State Department.