By Molly Goddard
4:32pm PST, Mar 7, 2025
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Elon Musk is claiming he's not the one to blame for the massive government layoffs.
After the billionaire and President
Donald Trump came under fire for the cuts they've made under DOGE, Musk is reportedly telling Republican lawmakers he's not the one calling the shots when it comes to firing thousands of federal employees.
Join us to see what the Telsa founder is making clear about his role with the Trump administration…
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According to the
Associated Press, Elon Musk has been claiming to right-wing politicians around Washington, D.C., that various federal agencies are making the decisions about people's jobs.
Representative
Richard Hudson of North Carolina was seemingly convinced. "Elon doesn't fire people," the
House Republicans' campaign leader told the outlet.
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"He doesn't have hiring and firing authority,"
Richard Hudson continued of Elon Musk's special government role under Donald Trump. "The president's empowered him to go uncover this information, that's it."
On Thursday, March 6, the commander-in-chief emphasized during a presser in the Oval Office how he wanted people at
DOGE to "be very precise" with who they decide to lay off. "I don't want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut," Donald Trump made clear.
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While Donald Trump stressed how the agency heads should be the first to call the shots about the fate of people's jobs, the businessman also noted how Elon Musk could act on his power if need be.
"If they can cut, it's better. And if they don't cut, then Elon will do the
cutting,"
The Apprentice alum said.
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There has been much speculation about Elon Musk's position at DOGE. During Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday, March 4, the politician labeled the tech mogul as the "head" of the department despite Trump's attorneys claiming Musk is "not an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service or the U.S. DOGE Service temporary organization."
Last month, the leader of the nation and the X owner sat down for a joint interview where Trump
praised Musk's assistance.
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"You know, I wanted to find somebody
smarter than him," Donald Trump told Fox News about bringing in Elon Musk. "I searched all over. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't. I really tried hard. I couldn't find anyone smarter. We settled on this guy."
