Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) pushed back on Elon Musk’s approach to downsizing the federal workforce on Sunday, saying the efforts of DOGE, Musk’s initiative, need to include “compassion” for the workers.
“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk it’s: Please put a dose of compassion in this,” Curtis said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It’s a false narrative to say we have to cut and be cruel to do it as well.”
Curtis’ statements were a critique of Elon Musk’s aggressive approach to reduce the federal government as leader of DOGE, which has included calling for the downsizing or termination of federal agencies and seeking access to sensitive government databases.
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In his latest move, federal employees received an email Saturday requesting an explanation for what they accomplished in their roles over the past week. In a post on X, Musk said a lack of response would be taken as a resignation.
“It’s not unusual in a corporate setting to have people report and explain what they’re doing, especially if they’re working from home,” Curtis said, referring to the email. “But I will double down on the fact that we don’t need to be so cold and hard, and let’s put a little compassion and dignity in this as well.”
Despite his critique of Musk’s tactics, Curtis emphasized the Trump administration’s urgent obligation to fulfill its promises to Americans on taking bold action to curb federal spending, saying, “We’ve tried for years to do this gracefully.”
In a similar vein, Curtis — who was elected to the Senate last year to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney — voiced his concern in a Saturday op-ed for Utah’s Deseret News. He cautioned against demonizing federal workers in pursuit of necessary reform.
“We also shouldn’t discount or vilify the good people who work diligently for the American people even in the face of poor leadership in bloated bureaucracies,” he wrote in the Deseret News. “I agree with those concerned that the DOGE approach has appeared reckless and rash, and that we should show more compassion and dignity to those affected by its mission.”
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