DOGE has gained access to AutoRIF, a Department of Defense program designed to generate lists of employees eligible for dismissal, Wired reported. The software, short for Automated Reduction in Force, was initially designed to assist in workforce reductions while still requiring manual oversight.
"However, even with the use of any automated system, the (Office of Personnel Management) guidance says all data has to be confirmed manually and that employees (or their representative) are allowed to examine the registers," a former government human resources official told Wired.
DOGE's involvement could eliminate the need for manual verification, the report said. Sources indicated that former Tesla engineer Riccardo Biasini has been linked to modifications to AutoRIF, as well as DOGE’s buyout offer to government employees.
"With new software and the use of AI, some government employees fear that large-scale terminations could roll out even more quickly," Wired reported.
The initial round of firings targeted probationary employees without civil service protections due to recent hiring, promotion, or role changes. A second wave was expected to affect protected employees, with AutoRIF playing a key role in expediting the process.
Mass Resignation Over Ethical Concerns
More than 20 civil service employees resigned from DOGE on Tuesday, citing concerns about using their expertise to "dismantle critical public services."
“We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the 21 departing staffers wrote in a resignation letter obtained by The Associated Press. “However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”
The resigning employees warned that Musk had recruited political ideologues lacking the technical expertise necessary for restructuring the federal workforce under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Their departure represents a setback for Musk and Trump’s effort to reduce government staff through technology-driven measures. The initiative has already faced legal challenges aimed at halting or reversing efforts to push government workers out of their positions.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the resignations.
“Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years,” Leavitt said in a statement. “President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers.”
Musk denied the Wired report in a post on his social media platform X, calling it “fake news” and suggesting that the resigning staffers were “Dem political holdovers” who “would have been fired had they not resigned.”
Tensions Within Government Tech Workforce
The resigning employees had worked for the United States Digital Service (USDS), a White House tech team established under former President Barack Obama to modernize government systems following the troubled rollout of Healthcare.gov.
According to the resignation letter, they joined the government out of a sense of duty but saw their roles being absorbed into DOGE under Trump’s administration.
Shortly after Trump's inauguration, the employees were subjected to what they described as politically charged interviews by unidentified individuals wearing White House visitor badges. Some interviewers displayed limited technical knowledge, while others appeared motivated by loyalty to Musk rather than improving government technology, the letter stated.
“Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability,” the staffers wrote. “This process created significant security risks.”
Earlier this month, DOGE laid off around 40 USDS staffers, reducing the government's ability to oversee and safeguard its technology systems, the letter stated.
“These highly skilled civil servants were working to modernize Social Security, veterans’ services, tax filing, health care, disaster relief, student aid, and other critical services,” the staffers wrote. “Their removal endangers millions of Americans who rely on these services every day.”
On Tuesday, roughly one-third of the remaining 65 staffers at USDS resigned rather than transition into DOGE.
“We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services,” they wrote.
Musk’s Approach to Government Overhaul
DOGE, named after Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency meme, was initially pitched as an independent advisory body before evolving into a direct mechanism for restructuring federal employment.
Since taking on the role, Musk has publicly embraced the initiative. Last week, he appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he held up a chainsaw gifted by Argentine President Javier Milei, referring to it as a symbol of government downsizing.
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” Musk declared.
While Musk has sought to retain technical talent, the recent layoffs primarily affected designers, product managers, and administrative staff. Among the 40 employees let go, only one was an engineer—Jonathan Kamens, a politically active staffer who had publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and criticized Musk.
“I believe that Elon Musk is up to no good. And I believe that any data that he gains access to is going to be used for purposes that are inappropriate and harmful to Americans,” Kamens told AP.
Former USDS officials said that while government bureaucracy can be frustrating, technology-driven reforms require caution.
“‘Move fast and break things’ may be acceptable to someone who owns a business and owns the risk,” said Cordell Schachter, former chief information officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation. “But when you break things in government, you’re breaking things that belong to people who didn’t sign up for that.”
USDS, founded more than a decade ago, played a key role in modernizing services for veterans, improving tax filing systems, and strengthening federal technology procurement.
The office has long faced tensions with federal agencies over authority and decision-making. Its ability to influence government operations stemmed from its White House backing and mission to enhance public services.
Meanwhile, Leavitt, the White House press secretary, is one of three administration officials facing a lawsuit from The Associated Press, which accuses them of retaliating against the news organization over editorial decisions. The White House contends that the AP failed to comply with an executive order requiring the Gulf of Mexico to be referred to as the "Gulf of America."