Wall Street Journal: “They carry a three-letter designation that allows them to wear both hats: ‘SGE,’ or special government employee. It’s a status under federal ethics laws that permits private-sector employees to work inside the government without having to relinquish their outside salaries or investments.”

“Only a sliver of cases must publicly disclose clients or potential conflicts of interest. While the rules limit work to up to 130 days in any given year, it can be extended if the administration desires.”

“President Donald Trump promised to make the federal government more efficient — to do more with less. He even deputized billionaire Elon Musk to be the face of a new Department of Government Efficiency,” NBC News reports.

“But critics say Musk’s chainsaw approach to slashing government programs, contracts and workers is having the opposite effect, sowing such confusion that it has hamstrung the bureaucracy’s ability to serve the public and even carry out key parts of Trump’s own agenda.”

Washington Post: Musk fights back as some Trump aides resist intensifying DOGE push.

CNN: A nascent backlash against Musk sharpens risk for Trump and GOP.

“When billionaire Elon Musk posted on X last weekend that all federal employees would soon receive an email demanding details of their work from the past week, senior White House officials — who had not been fully briefed on the plan — were initially caught off guard,” ABC News reports.

“Musk’s email would then set off widespread confusion across the federal government. It created tension among members of Trump’s Cabinet, as multiple agency heads told their employees to hold off on replying until they themselves were briefed on the situation.”

Washington Examiner: Senate Republicans want Trump Cabinet to take cost-cutting reins from Musk.

“The next phase in the Trump administration’s effort to rapidly downsize the federal work force was well underway on Tuesday as confusion roiled through the ranks over how employees should respond to an ultimatum from Elon Musk to justify their roles or be fired,” the New York Times reports.

“Since Sunday afternoon, at least three independent agencies have formally alerted staff members of upcoming dismissals through a ‘reduction in force’ process ordered by President Trump.”

“Deputies of Elon Musk have sought access to massive amounts of information across the federal government, much of it personal and highly revelatory in its insights into the lives of everyday Americans,” the Washington Post reports.

“They justify their work for the U.S. DOGE Service as a dogged quest for government efficiency. But people with deep knowledge of federal data systems and cybersecurity say they’re skirting guardrails meant to protect sensitive data from misuse.”