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Is the DOGE honeymoon over?
Americans’ support for Elon Musk and Department of Government Efficiency could be waning after a new poll indicates that the majority disapprove of his cost-cutting frenzy.
The billionaire stepped his purge of gutting the federal government up a gear over the weekend by sending out an ultimatum email to workers asking them to justify their roles or face termination, an aggressive tactic he deployed when he acquired Twitter, now X, in 2022. The upheaval, coupled with granting DOGE staffers unprecedented access to sensitive and confidential data belonging to Americans, appears to have gone too far, according to the results of a Washington Post–Ipsos poll.
When asked whether respondents approved or disapproved of the job that Musk is doing within the federal government, a net 34 percent approve compared to 49 that disapprove.
The poll, carried out on February 13 – 18, found that 52 percent disapprove of Musk shutting down federal programs that he deems unnecessary, compared to 26 who approve.
Concern was high when respondents were asked specifically about the access Musk’s team had been given to some federal government databases containing information on Social Security, Medicare and taxes. The poll found that 63 percent are concerned by this compared to 34 percent who said they are not.
Several recent polls have also found that more Americans disapprove of Musk, the world’s richest man, and the power he wields. He has been working at the behest of President Donald Trump as the two work to slash the federal budget. One of their main ways to find savings is to reduce the federal workforce, though the hasty nature has led to mistakes and concerns about what groups Musk is terminating.
The White House has contended that Musk is not legally in charge of DOGE, despite the president’s constant praise for Musk’s work.
Only 28 percent believe Musk’s role in the government is a “good thing,” according to a poll from CNN and SSRS published last week.
When asked whether the SpaceX CEO has too much power in decision-making, over half of respondents (55 percent) agreed in a recent Quinnipiac University poll, versus 36 percent who said the billionaire has about the right amount.
And over half (54 percent) of Americans surveyed by Pew at the end of January had a more negative take on Musk’s DOGE, while an Emerson College poll last week found that 45 percent disapproved of the job he was doing, compared to 41 percent who approved.
The polls follow a weekend where Musk unleashed confusion with a blanket email sent to federal employees asking for a response about their weekly accomplishments or risk termination.
Many of Trump’s agency heads at the FBI, Pentagon, State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Energy instructed staff not to reply to the email.
Musk said Monday that it was a test to see if they “had a pulse.”
