Trump says his Cabinet, not Musk, is in charge of agency cuts : NPR

President Trump reported Thursday that he is in charge of cutting staff, not Elon Musk, amid continuing questions about the role of billionaires’ advisors in the dramatic reshaping of the federal government.

Trump said he said he had said a lot to his cabinet at a closed door meeting with most of his secretaries, who also attended.

“I don’t want to see a big cut with so many good people being cut. I want to keep good people in the members of the cabinet, and people who don’t do unreliable jobs, people who don’t show up at work, etc., those people can cut,” Trump told reporters in the oval office.

“If they can cut it, it’s better. And if they don’t, Elon will cut it,” the president said.

Musk is the official face of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce federal spending and staffing through government efficiency, or government efficiency, not a real federal agency. But the White House says that Musk is not a manager of the Doge, but a “special government official” who has no authority to advise the president and set policies.

The opacity around who leads the Doge and what authoritative masks will do has fueled criticism, Legal issues To the Doge and to the mass shootings that were made in many engines. Trump himself added confusion when Doji said in his speech to Congress this week that he was “opposite” by Musk.

Trump’s comments on Thursday show a rare example of the president publicly restraining Musk. That comes after lawmakers on both parties raised concerns that ministers, not musk, should call shots around employment and layoffs.

Senate Majority Leader John Tune, Rs.D. on Tuesday. I told CNN The goals and objectives of masks are correct, but agency leaders “probably suited to individual programs.”

The Trump administration plans to further force reductions across federal agencies. in Social Media Posts On Thursday, Trump wrote:[N]I have directed my secretary and leadership to work with Doge on cost-cutting measures and staffing. Secretaries can be very accurate about who will remain and who will go as they learn and understand people working in different departments. It’s called “female” instead of “hatchet.” ”

Trump added: “It’s very important to reduce levels, but it’s also important to keep the best and most productive people.”