Musk Aides Lock Civil Servants Out of Key Data Systems Amid Government Overhaul
Washington, D.C., Jan 31 – According to information on Reuters, Aides to Elon Musk, tasked with overseeing the U.S. government’s human resources agency, have reportedly blocked access for career civil servants to computer systems containing personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two sources within the agency.
The move comes as President Donald Trump, just 11 days into office, begins a significant overhaul of the federal government, aiming to downsize the 2.2 million-strong workforce. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X, was appointed by Trump to lead efforts to reduce the size of the civil service and install more loyal allies at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the agency responsible for managing federal employees.
The sources, who requested anonymity due to concerns over retaliation, revealed that some senior career officials at OPM have been denied access to critical data systems. These systems include the Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI), which holds sensitive information about federal workers, such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, pay grades, home addresses, and job histories.
“We no longer have visibility into what’s being done with the data and computer systems,” one of the officials said. “The lack of oversight is raising serious concerns, particularly regarding cybersecurity risks and the potential for hacking.”
Although affected officials can still access their emails, they no longer have access to detailed personnel data, which is essential for managing the federal workforce.
OPM, Musk’s team, and the White House have yet to respond to requests for comment on the situation. However, memos from OPM have been circulated in recent days urging federal workers to consider buyout offers and suggesting they take vacations to “dream destinations.” The tone of these memos has drawn attention due to their departure from the typical language of official government communication.
Experts are raising alarms about the implications of these changes for transparency and congressional oversight. Don Moynihan, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan, warned that such moves make it difficult for anyone outside Musk’s inner circle at OPM to understand the agency’s activities.
Musk’s influence over OPM has been swift. Since taking office on January 20, the day Trump was inaugurated, Musk’s allies, including former and current employees of his companies, have assumed leadership positions within the agency. Reports suggest that these new appointees have moved sofa beds into the OPM headquarters to ensure they can work around the clock, mirroring a similar move Musk made in 2022 at X (formerly Twitter).
“It feels like a hostile takeover,” said one OPM employee, describing the rapid changes.
In addition to the shake-up at OPM, Musk’s allies have caused disruptions within other government agencies. At the Treasury Department, a senior official, David Lebryk, is reportedly set to leave his post following a clash with Musk’s team over requests for access to payment systems.
Among the new team members at OPM is Brian Bjelde, a former SpaceX vice president of human resources, now serving as a senior adviser. Additionally, Amanda Scales, a former Musk employee, has been appointed OPM’s chief of staff, while Riccardo Biasini, another Musk veteran, has taken on a senior advisory role.
Since Trump’s inauguration, OPM’s acting head, Charles Ezell, has been sending out controversial memos to the entire federal workforce. These include an offer to federal employees to quit with a generous payout. However, the agency’s internal officials expressed surprise upon learning of these memos, noting that they were unaware of their contents until they were made public.
As the restructuring continues, questions about the future of federal bureaucracy and the level of control Musk’s team will have over the vast network of government data remain at the forefront of the conversation.
