Elon Musk and the Trump administration are attempting to dismantle the federal workforce and our intelligence agencies, but there’s just one problem: federal employees and veterans aren’t taking the bait.
Despite repeated emails, misleading promises, and thinly veiled threats, the so-called “deferred resignation” program is flopping. Instead of persuading career civil servants to abandon their posts, Musk’s latest scheme is exposing the administration’s desperation and legal recklessness. Less than 1 percent of federal workers have taken the offer. The recent legal filing by the American Federation of Government Employees and two federal employees seeking a restraining order against Musk’s DOGE further hampers Musk’s plans. In the end, this debacle will likely cost the federal government more in legal fees, settlements, and billable legal hours than ever.
Musk, now leading the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — which is neither a federal agency nor a legally recognized federal advisory committee — has no legitimate authority, as it was not established by Congress or lawfully by the president. Despite this, he has sent out multiple “Fork in the Road” emails, mirroring his infamous layoffs at X, formerly Twitter. The message is clear: take a buyout now and get paid through September, or risk being fired or furloughed later.
The tens of thousands of veterans who transitioned to government service after their military careers know the law. The government cannot pay a federal worker for work they did not perform unless Congress specifically authorizes it. That would most likely take years. In any case, there is no guarantee that Congress would ever approve such funding, especially given the ongoing dysfunction, with Republicans struggling to fund their own government, draft a reconciliation bill, or elect a leader. Federal employees know their rights, and they recognize this scheme for what it is: an illegal power play riddled with political gamesmanship and destined for legal challenges.
Attorneys general from 12 states have already warned workers about the risks of taking the resignation offer, calling it misleading and potentially illegal. Employment lawyers have pointed out that Congress, not the White House, controls federal paychecks, meaning any promise of severance payments could easily collapse in court. If Musk and Trump actually had the authority to fire these workers en masse, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to scare them into leaving voluntarily.
Musk’s attempt to gut the federal workforce isn’t just bad policy — it’s a direct attack on veterans. Nearly one-third of all federal employees are veterans and are concentrated in targeted agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. Many of these veterans rely on their jobs to support their families and secure benefits they earned through service. Pushing them out under the guise of “efficiency” is a disgrace. This administration claims to support the troops, yet they’re trying to force veterans out of government and onto uncertain ground.
And let’s not forget Musk’s history of trampling laws. From defying SEC regulations to union-busting tactics at Tesla, he has never let legality get in the way of his whims. Now, he’s trying to impose the same chaotic mismanagement on the U.S. government.
But the government isn’t a Silicon Valley startup full of college students eager to please their billionaire boss. Federal employees won’t just roll over. Veterans and civil servants are accomplished professionals who have dedicated their lives to the Constitution of the United States of America. It’s something Musk simply couldn’t understand — but that soon, he will.
We are holding the line — refusing to abandon our posts, refusing to be intimidated, and exposing this reckless power grab for what it is. We all took an oath to support and defend OUR Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That oath never expires. Musk wouldn’t know. He never took it.
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