Tulsi Gabbard Brazenly Overrides Elon Musk
Tulsi Gabbard Joins Kash Patel in Brazenly Overriding Elon Musk’s DOGE Email Demands: ‘Employees Should Not Respond’
In an unprecedented clash within the Trump administration, high-ranking officials led by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel have mounted a coordinated resistance against Elon Musk’s demands for federal workers to justify their weekly activities.
Musk, serving as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sent an administration-wide email requiring federal employees to provide detailed lists of their weekly accomplishments and copy their managers.
The Tesla and SpaceX founder’s initiative, which came after President Trump’s directive for “more aggressive” cost-cutting measures, has triggered a cascade of opposition from department leaders.
Gabbard wasted no time establishing her position, issuing an unequivocal message to intelligence community employees that cited national security concerns.
“Given the inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work, I.C. employees should not respond to the OPM email,” the former Hawaii congresswoman declared, according to the Daily Mail.
The resistance has reportedly spread rapidly through the administration’s highest ranks, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Department of Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem all directing their staff to ignore Musk’s request, creating a unified front against DOGE’s oversight attempt.
FBI Director Patel’s defiance marked one of his first significant actions in his new role, potentially signaling growing rifts within the MAGA movement.
Patel asserted the bureau’s independence, stating that the “FBI is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures.”
Musk defended his controversial email on his X platform, claiming he simply wanted “to see who had a pulse and two working neurons.”
He escalated tensions by threatening termination for employees who failed to comply.
The conflict highlights broader tensions in the administration’s aggressive cost-cutting agenda.
Daily Mail reported that DOGE has already faced multiple legal challenges, including a union lawsuit over attempts to place 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave.
While unions initially secured a temporary restraining order from Trump-appointed Judge Carl J. Nichols, the judge later reversed his decision, noting that while immediate irreparable harm hadn’t been proven, future developments could change that assessment.
Despite the pushback, DOGE claims significant victories in its cost-cutting mission.
The department recently announced the discovery of $1.9 billion in misplaced funds at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, per Daily Mail, which they attributed to the previous administration’s “broken process.”
$1.9 billion of HUD money was just recovered after being misplaced during the Biden administration due to a broken process. These funds were earmarked for the administration of financial services, but were no longer needed. @SecretaryTurner and @DOGE worked together to fix the… pic.twitter.com/NDZPr8sjFC
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 14, 2025
DOGE reports total savings of $55 billion achieved through various measures including fraud detection, contract cancellations and asset sales.
A new proposal gaining traction among supporters is the “DOGE dividend,” introduced by James Fishback on X, which would redistribute the department’s savings as $5,000 stimulus checks to American households.
Musk expressed interest in the concept but indicated he would seek presidential approval.
The department’s aggressive approach has produced mixed results. While some cuts, such as the temporary dismissal of Department of Energy workers overseeing America’s nuclear arsenal, required quick reversal by President Trump, MAGA Republicans have praised other cost-cutting measures as necessary reforms of government waste.
DOGE reports its most substantial savings have come from major federal agencies including USAID, the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.
The department claims these reductions were achieved through a comprehensive review of government spending, targeting what they describe as fraudulent activities, unnecessary contracts and underutilized assets.
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