US President Donald Trump’s administration fired thousands of federal employees on Tuesday. The job cuts specifically targeted banking regulators, tax enforcers, and even NASA rocket scientists. Moreover, a federal judge allowed this massive shake-up to continue, at least for now.

With Trump’s full support, tech billionaire Elon Musk is leading this effort through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Since Trump took office last month, DOGE has been slashing jobs across many federal agencies. Notably, Musk, who was Trump’s biggest campaign donor, is driving this drastic government revamp.

Promised Savings and Criticism

Trump claimed, without evidence, that the overhaul would save “hundreds of billions of dollars.” He also praised Musk as a patriot. However, Musk’s team revealed they had saved only $55 billion so far—which is less than 1% of the $6.7 trillion annual federal budget.

On one hand, Republicans celebrated the cuts. They believe the federal workforce is too large, corrupt, and not loyal enough to Trump.

On the other hand, Democrats raised serious concerns. They argued that Trump is overstepping his constitutional powers and harming vital programs that support middle-class families.

Additionally, critics warned that Musk is acting without proper oversight. They accused him of gaining unchecked access to sensitive government data.

NASA and Other Agencies Face Layoffs

Meanwhile, NASA faced major layoffs on Tuesday. The space agency planned to cut 1,000 new hires, including rocket scientists. Furthermore, more job cuts could follow.

“People are scared and not speaking up to voice dissent or disagreement,” said a NASA employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Musk, however, saw these complaints as a sign of DOGE’s success. “All we’re really trying to do here is restore the will of the people through the president,” Musk said in a Fox News interview. He also criticized the federal workforce as an “unelected bureaucracy” opposing Trump.

Lack of Transparency

Despite the ongoing layoffs, the White House did not disclose how many jobs it plans to cut. So far, the only details have come from agency insiders.

In addition, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) set a deadline on Tuesday for all government departments to submit lists of fired probationary employees. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether these numbers will be made public.

Legal Battles Continue

Meanwhile, around 20 lawsuits have challenged Musk’s actions. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan declined to block DOGE’s work while the cases continue.

Even so, Chutkan raised concerns. She wrote, “Plaintiffs legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight.”

Moreover, congressional Democrats said their oversight requests were ignored. They struggled to get answers from agency officials and lacked key policy details needed for constituent casework.

Expanding Executive Power

Amid the controversy, Trump increased his control over the executive branch on Tuesday. He issued an order asserting authority over all agencies except the Federal Reserve.

The White House specifically pointed out that agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had been “exercising enormous power over the American people without presidential oversight.”

More Agencies See Job Cuts

In addition to previous layoffs, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) identified at least 7,500 workers for dismissal, according to a source. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) also fired an unknown number of new hires, an email seen by Reuters revealed.

Furthermore, more layoffs were expected at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its parent, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The overhaul even impacted workers reviewing Musk’s brain implant company, Neuralink. This raised questions about the fate of at least 20 ongoing investigations into Musk’s businesses, as reported by Reuters.