×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Wednesday
14
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 10°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Musk’s associates locked public officials out of the federal employee database

Musk took on the task of reducing the federal workforce by 2.2 million employees

Newsroom February 1 01:39

Elon Musk’s aides, who have taken over the management of the U.S. government’s human resources agency, locked senior public officials out of the computers containing personal data on millions of federal employees, according to two agency executives.

Eleven days after taking the oath of office, Donald Trump launched a sweeping government overhaul, firing and sidelining hundreds of public officials in an effort to cut bureaucracy and replace them with his own loyalists.

Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and X, took on the task of downsizing the federal workforce—2.2 million employees. He moved quickly, installing his associates at the agency known as the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

The two officials, who spoke anonymously to Reuters for fear of retaliation, said that some senior career employees at OPM had their access revoked to certain data systems within the agency. These systems include a massive database (Enterprise Human Resources Integration) that contains birth dates, Social Security numbers, performance evaluations, home addresses, salary grades, and employment history of government employees.

“We have no idea what they’re doing with the computers and data systems. It’s deeply concerning. There’s no oversight. There is a real cybersecurity and espionage risk,” one official said.

The officials who were “locked out” can still log in and access certain services, such as email, but they can no longer view the vast troves of data that cover every aspect of federal employees’ work.

Musk, the OPM, representatives of his new team, and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

The OPM has sent out memos to employees, departing from the usual dry tone of government announcements, urging public servants to resign and “go on vacation to the destination of their dreams.”

Don Moynihan, a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, said the developments at OPM raise concerns about whether Congress still has oversight of the agency. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult for anyone outside Musk’s inner circle to know what’s going on,” he said.

A group composed of current and former Musk employees took control of OPM on January 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration. They installed sleeper sofas on the fifth floor of the building, where the director’s office is located, according to an agency employee.

The sleeper sofas were placed there so the team could work around the clock.

>Related articles

FBI searches the home of a Washington Post journalist who covered the Trump administration’s firing of federal employees

Countdown to a U.S. strike on Iran: Americans and Britons evacuate bases, direct assassination threat against Trump from Tehran – Live

Direct assassination threat against Trump from Iran: “This time the bullet will not miss the target”

Musk had previously placed beds in the offices of the X platform after acquiring it in 2022, so employees could work longer hours.

“It feels like a hostile takeover,” one employee remarked.

The newly appointed OPM officials also removed the agency’s chief executive, Kiran Ahuja, from her office and relocated her to another floor.

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#database#Donald Trump#Elon Musk#hr#human resources#Tesla#Trump#X
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

FBI searches the home of a Washington Post journalist who covered the Trump administration’s firing of federal employees

January 14, 2026

RealPolls: New Democracy above its European election result, Plefsi returns to second place – With a change of leader ND loses nearly two points, PASOK gains 5.5

January 14, 2026

Countdown to a U.S. strike on Iran: Americans and Britons evacuate bases, direct assassination threat against Trump from Tehran – Live

January 14, 2026

Direct assassination threat against Trump from Iran: “This time the bullet will not miss the target”

January 14, 2026

32 dead after a crane falls on a passenger train in Thailand

January 14, 2026

Meeting between Mitsotakis and the “agro-leaders” of the blockades set for Friday

January 14, 2026

Pierrakakis: We will achieve even more through collective effort

January 14, 2026

“All cash”: Netflix is preparing a strategic move to accelerate its $83 billion deal with Warner Bros.

January 14, 2026
All News

> World

FBI searches the home of a Washington Post journalist who covered the Trump administration’s firing of federal employees

The warrant stated that authorities are investigating a computer systems administrator in Maryland who is accused of stealing classified information

January 14, 2026

Countdown to a U.S. strike on Iran: Americans and Britons evacuate bases, direct assassination threat against Trump from Tehran – Live

January 14, 2026

Direct assassination threat against Trump from Iran: “This time the bullet will not miss the target”

January 14, 2026

32 dead after a crane falls on a passenger train in Thailand

January 14, 2026

Bloomberg: Trump’s son-in-law and Steve Whitcoff plan to meet with Putin in Moscow

January 14, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα