Aides to Elon Musk, tasked by President Donald Trump with overhauling the U.S. government’s human resources agency, have locked career civil servants out of critical computer systems containing the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
According to Reuters news :The move comes as part of Trump’s broader effort to downsize the federal bureaucracy and install loyalists across government agencies. Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), was appointed by Trump to lead the reduction of the 2.2 million-strong civilian workforce. Since assuming control of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on January 20, Musk’s team has swiftly implemented changes, including revoking access to key data systems for senior career employees.
Locked Out of Critical Systems
The affected systems include the Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) database, which houses sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, home addresses, pay grades, and performance appraisals of federal workers. “We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems,” one official told Reuters. “That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications.”
While locked-out employees can still access basic functions like email, they are no longer able to view or manage the extensive datasets that track the federal workforce. This lack of transparency has raised alarms about potential misuse of data and the erosion of institutional oversight.
Elon Musk’s Influence and Hostile Takeover
Musk’s team, which includes current and former employees from his companies, has taken over the fifth floor of OPM’s headquarters, installing sofa beds to enable round-the-clock work. “It feels like a hostile takeover,” one OPM employee said. The new appointees have also relocated Katie Malague, OPM’s chief management officer, to a different floor, further signaling a shift in power dynamics.
The upheaval at OPM mirrors similar disruptions at the Treasury Department, where Musk’s aides reportedly clashed with top-ranking officials over access to payment systems. David Lebryk, the Treasury’s senior career official, is set to leave his post following these tensions, according to a Washington Post report.
Unusual Memos and Buyout Offers
Since Trump took office, OPM’s acting head, Charles Ezell, has issued a series of memos encouraging federal employees to consider buyout offers. One memo, sent on January 21, offered workers eight months’ pay to quit and take a vacation to a “dream destination.” These communications, which deviate from the typical tone of government missives, have caught even OPM staff by surprise. “No one here knew that the memos were coming out. We are finding out about these memos the same time as the rest of the world,” an official said.
Concerns Over Oversight and Cybersecurity
Experts warn that the lack of transparency and oversight at OPM could have serious consequences. Don Moynihan, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, said, “This makes it much harder for anyone outside Musk’s inner circle at OPM to know what’s going on.” The potential for cybersecurity risks and data breaches is also a growing concern, given the sensitive nature of the information housed in OPM’s systems.
Musk’s Team Takes Charge
The new leadership at OPM includes Brian Bjelde, a former SpaceX executive, and Amanda Scales, a former Musk employee now serving as OPM’s chief of staff. Another senior adviser, Riccardo Biasini, previously worked at Tesla and Musk’s tunnel-building venture, The Boring Company. Their presence underscores Musk’s growing influence across the federal government.
As the Trump administration continues its push to reshape the federal workforce, the actions at OPM highlight the challenges of balancing efficiency with transparency and accountability. With career civil servants sidelined and critical systems locked, the long-term implications of Musk’s involvement in government operations remain uncertain.
