Two senior Republicans reinforced US President Donald Trump’s recent stance on Elon Musk’s influence, emphasising that the Department of Government Efficiency cannot override Cabinet officials or dismiss federal employees, stating that, “he is a partner and has no power to fire people.”
“Elon Musk does not have the power to fire people,” Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida said Sunday in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. “The president of the United States is Donald Trump, and the agency heads are the ones who manage each of their departments,” he added.
Scott’s remarks followed a tense Cabinet meeting where administration officials voiced concerns about Musk’s interference in staffing and policy decisions within their agencies.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy subsequently described the meeting as “productive” in a post to X on Friday, whilst indicating his broader concerns about Musk’s agenda to restructure federal bureaucracy.
“The President’s approach of a scalpel versus a hatchet and better coordination between Secretaries and DOGE is the right approach to revolutionizing the way our government is run,” Duffy said, Politico reported.
During the meeting, Trump instructed his Cabinet officials that Musk lacks authority to make staffing and policy decisions—marking Trump’s first significant limitation on Musk’s authority. Trump clarified that DOGE’s role is advisory, with Cabinet officials retaining final authority over staffing, policies and implementation.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, another GOP official, acknowledged DOGE’s contributions during a Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Welker. When questioned about agency leadership, Lutnick characterised Musk as his “partner.”
“Elon Musk is your partner,” he said. “He’s your partner in technology, he’s your partner in thought, he’s your partner in doing. What President Trump made clear, is that Elon is your partner. That is what we like,” he added.
Trump’s revised guidelines for DOGE follow Musk’s initiatives for extensive redundancies and proposals to eliminate numerous government agencies, causing distress amongst federal employees.
Despite DOGE’s controversial actions, Lutnick indicated Cabinet officials remain united in collaborating with Musk to reduce government expenditure. “You have the best technologist and richest guy in the world saying ‘I’ll help you,’ come on, we want his help,” Lutnick concluded.
