Federal IT Employees Resign From DOGE Effort; Elon Musk Calls Media Coverage Fake News

Twenty-one federal IT employees resigned from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), essentially protesting DOGE's alleged efforts to dismantle critical public services, the Associated Press reported.

The 21 resignations, disclosed in letter addressed to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, involved employees who previously worked for the U.S. Digital Service -- essentially the federal government's overall IT organization. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 that transformed the U.S. Digital Service into DOGE.

DOGE, heavily influenced by Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, was envisioned to cut U.S. regulations and eliminate wasteful government spending. On the IT front, DOGE's mission includes a mandate to modernize federal technology and software to maximize efficiency and productivity.

But since January 2025, DOGE has initiated mass firings and launched efforts to shut down multiple U.S. federal government agencies. MAGA loyalists have cheered the moves as money-savers. But many of DOGE's efforts have triggered heavy criticism from Democrats, and some criticism from Republican circles.

Fast forward to February 25, 2025. The 21 IT staff resignations include engineers, data scientists, designers and product managers -- many of whom previously worked for Amazon and Google, the Associated Press said.

The resignation letter, according to The Wall Street Journal, stated: "We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services. We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE’s actions.”

In response to the media coverage, Musk labeled the Associated Press report as fake news.

What About Government IT Consulting Firms, MSPs?

Among the big question marks to keep in mind: How will DOGE-related spending cuts impact federal government contracts with IT consulting firms, MSPs (managed IT service providers) and technology providers?

Among the companies at risk: Big global systems integrators and management consulting firms -- names like Accenture and McKinsey -- could suffer contract reductions with the U.S. federal government, The Business Times reported.

Related: See a detailed timeline of DOGE updates here.