---
title: "Rooting out the problem! Musk declares he wants to \"eradicate\" 75,000 federal government employees in the United States who have accepted buyouts"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/228246779.md"
description: "Media reports indicate that in the United States federal government's voluntary resignation program, 75,000 employees from various federal agencies have chosen to resign. This number accounts for only 3% of the 2.4 million federal civilian employees, far below the 5%-10% target set by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt"
datetime: "2025-02-13T21:22:34.000Z"
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  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/228246779.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/228246779.md)
---

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# Rooting out the problem! Musk declares he wants to "eradicate" 75,000 federal government employees in the United States who have accepted buyouts

Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), stated during a video appearance at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday that the reforms undertaken by DOGE aim to root out corruption, dissolve federal agencies, reduce federal government staff, and "completely eliminate" the "shadow government" composed of non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Musk stated,

> "I think we really need to delete the entire federal government agency, rather than leaving part of it... It's a bit like weeding. If you don't pull the weeds out by the roots, they can easily grow back. But if you pull them out by the roots—this doesn't mean the weeds will never grow back, but at least it will make it harder for them to grow."
> 
> "**So, we must really delete entire agencies, many agencies. This doesn't mean that some new government won't establish new bureaucracies in the future, but at least they will start from a lower baseline. So, this is definitely a step in the right direction.**"
> 
> "Nothing is permanent, but I think we can significantly strengthen the foundation of the United States."

According to media reports citing informed sources, 75,000 staff from various federal agencies have chosen to leave under the voluntary resignation program of the U.S. federal government. This number accounts for only 3% of the 2.4 million federal civilian employees, far below the 5%-10% target set by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Previously, a federal judge in Boston lifted a nighttime freeze on the program.

However, the media also pointed out that during the tenure of former President Biden, the number of federal government employees increased by 6.3%, primarily driven by large-scale pandemic relief programs. Therefore, even a reduction of 3% in federal staff would only bring the numbers back to 2023 levels.

Although the White House's layoff target has not yet been met, Matthew Hennessey, deputy editor of The Wall Street Journal, wrote in his column:

> "Even Ronald Reagan, who is hailed as an advocate of the 'small government' philosophy, could not achieve the reforms that Musk has completed in just three and a half weeks during his eight-year term. This billionaire businessman is less like an apostle and more like an avenging angel. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is exactly the change we have long awaited."

On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order announcing the elimination of 'waste and bloat' in the government while 'quickly preparing to initiate large-scale layoffs.' He referred to it as a "critical transformation for Washington, D.C." and defined it as a necessary step for the nation's progress.

Additionally, financial media ZeroHedge reported on Thursday that internet search trends in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area (including Maryland and Northern Virginia) showed increasing panic among federal employees: searches for "Criminal Defense Lawyer" and "RICO Laws" were on the rise The popularity of " has surged sharply in the past few weeks.

However, Democrats are launching a counterattack against Musk and Trump, opposing the government transparency and efficiency initiatives driven by DOGE. A ZeroHedge article states that some far-left Democrats, such as Representative Robert Garcia, have even called on supporters to 'arm themselves' in response to DOGE reforms

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