Hegseth asked civilian DoD employees to reply to a weekend email – the second of its kind – from the Office of Personnel Management.
Many of Trump’s high-profile cabinet appointments give the lie to that claim, from science-averse conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. at the Department of Health and Human Services to dipsomaniacal accused sexual assaulter Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon to humor-impaired bully-boss Elon Musk everywhere you turn.
The scene was familiar to anyone who has watched past presidential Cabinet meetings. Trump sat at the center of the table, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his right and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on his left.
The scene was familiar to anyone who has watched past presidential Cabinet meetings. Trump sat at the center of the table, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his right and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on his left.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said he would welcome the Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon is in the cost-cutting crosshairs of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth orders officials to find $50 billion in cuts to the defense budget.
The Department of Defense is among several U.S. federal agencies pushing back against the email, which was sent out Saturday.
The email Elon Musk directed to be sent to all federal employees is getting pushback from President Donald Trump's appointed agency heads, notably including the Department of Defense, which posted a statement on Musk's own social media platform instructing its employees to ignore the email for now.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that Elon Musk's DOGE will have "broad access" to root out previous administration programs at the Pentagon.
Hegseth, 44, demanded a proposal that would include annual 8% cuts to the Pentagon’s roughly $850 billion budget, according to a memo.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verified that staffers from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are working in the Pentagon to uncover waste, fraud and abuse in the government’s largest discretionary budget.