Elon Musk’s plan to reduce the size of the federal government is instilling fear in the hearts of the deep state bureaucracy.
According to a report from CNN, Musk’s appointment alongside Vivek Ramaswamy as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency is “terrifying” federal workers and even making them fear for their physical safety.
The report states:
Several current federal employees told CNN they’re afraid their lives will be forever changed – including physically threatened – as Musk makes behind-the-scenes bureaucrats into personal targets.
Others told CNN that the threat of being in Musk’s crosshairs might even drive them from their jobs entirely – achieving Musk’s smaller government goals without so much as a proper review.
“These tactics are aimed at sowing terror and fear at federal employees,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 800,000 of the 2.3 million civilian federal employees. “It’s intended to make them fearful that they will become afraid to speak up.”
Among those who Musk has reportedly targeted for dismissal include the Director of Climate Diversification at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Department of Energy’s chief climate officer in its loan programs office and the senior advisor on environmental justice and climate change at the Department of Health and Human Services.
CNN is particularly irked at the fact that Musk is criticizing the size of the government because of of the fact that his own trillion dollar car company, Tesla, has received billions in federal grants.
Together, Musk and Ramaswamy hope to make hundreds of billions or even trillions in savings and roll back the administrative state that has warped America’s political system over the past few decades.
The cuts will also help reduce America’s massive debt burden, which risks eventually bankrupting the country if not properly addressed.
Announcing Musk’s position earlier this month, Trump said that his task will be “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”
“To drive this kind of drastic change, The Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before,” Trump explained at the time.
The work cannot start soon enough.