Trump tells Cabinet members they're in charge of staffing as business leaders and Republicans complain about Musk

[Dulcinea]

Washington (CNN)--One week after Elon Musk held court before the cameras during President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting, many of the Senate-confirmed leaders of government departments and agencies reconvened in the Cabinet Room on Thursday for a different kind of discussion.

During a nearly 90-minute meeting – this time, without any cameras – Trump delivered a clear message as Musk, one of the most influential members of his administration, sat nearby.

The president told his agency heads that while Musk’s effort to slash the size and spending of the federal government has his full support, they are the ones, not Musk, who are in charge of staffing at their respective agencies.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/politics/trump-musk-cabinet-meeting/index.html

[madaboutharry]

1. Then an hour or so later he said....

"If the agencies don't cut, Elon will do the cutting."

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Amid controversies and backlashes, Trump clips Elon Musk's wings

For the first time, the president appeared to take a step toward curbing the powers of Musk and DOGE. The step, however, came with a caveat.
https://bsky.app/profile/rosespitznogle.bsky.social/post/3ljsxktrqfc2x

Amid controversies and backlashes, Trump clips Elon Musk’s wings
For the first time, the president appeared to take a step toward curbing the powers of Musk and DOGE. The step, however, came with a caveat.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/controversies-backlashes-trump-clips-elon-musks-wings-rcna195284

While questions about the nature of Musk’s job will likely continue, there are also new questions about the scope of his remit. Indeed, as NBC News reported, Trump’s most generous campaign contributor suddenly appears to have a bit less power than he did when the week began.

President Donald Trump said he told his Cabinet secretaries during a meeting Thursday that staffing decisions will be left up to them, not Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. Trump said he instructed Cabinet members to work alongside DOGE on spending and workforce reductions while clarifying that final job cuts will be at the discretion of the department leaders.

.....Regardless, amid a public backlash, Democratic pushback and even some Republican consternation, there’s reason to believe Trump just took his first step to clip Musk’s wings. As The New York Times summarized, “President Trump said on Thursday that the next phase of his plan to cut the federal work force would be conducted with a ‘scalpel’ rather than a ‘hatchet’ in what appeared to be a step aimed at restraining Elon Musk.”....

Seemingly aware of the controversies surrounding mass DOGE firings, Trump told reporters, “I want the Cabinet members to keep good people. ... I don’t want to see a big cut where good people are cut.” He added that his directive to secretaries was: “Keep all the people you want, all the people that you need.”

There was, however, a catch.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3ljqefrd2bh2q

Link to tweet

“If they don’t cut,” the president said, “then Elon will do the cutting.”

That’s notable because, according to White House lawyers, Musk doesn’t have the legal authority to do any cutting, and because it is a reminder that while Trump appeared to curb Musk’s powers for the first time, the effort was modest, not sweeping.

It was a notable step, but it was also a relatively small step.