Musk aides restrict govt workers' access to systems at agency over federal hiring, payroll policy: report

Aides to Elon Musk, who have been tasked with overseeing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) under President Donald Trump, have reportedly locked government workers out of computer systems containing the personal data of millions of federal employees.

According to sources who spoke with Reuters, some government workers within OPM have had their access revoked to key data systems, including the Enterprise Human Resources Integration database. The OPM is over hiring and payroll for the federal government, and serves as a large human resources department.

"We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems," one official told Reuters. "That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications."

While officials can still log in and access emails, their ability to view the datasets has been restricted. In addition, OPM has issued memos encouraging civil servants to consider buyout offers and take vacations to a “dream destination.”

This move aligns with President Trump’s broader effort to cut down the size of the federal government. Since taking office, Trump has fired or placed hundreds of civil servants on leave, aiming to reduce bureaucracy and remove employees he believes are politically motivated or inefficient. As part of this initiative, Musk has been tasked with overseeing reductions within OPM’s workforce of over 2 million employees.

Upon Trump’s inauguration, a team of current and former Musk employees began overseeing OPM, with one employee describing the transition as a "hostile takeover," according to Reuters. Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell has issued memos offering employees buyout packages, including eight months of pay for those who choose to leave.

"No one here knew that the memos were coming out. We are finding out about these memos the same time as the rest of the world," one official said.