is vowing yet again to asking them to list five things they accomplished last week.
Hours after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management had directed agencies that responses to its email were optional, Musk again threatened federal workers in a post on X, his social media platform.
Here's the latest:
Johnson tries to push Trump鈥檚 鈥榖ig鈥� agenda forward, but GOP votes are in jeopardy
The House speaker will try against the odds to muscle to passage this week, a step toward delivering Trump鈥檚 鈥渂ig, beautiful bill鈥� with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts over stiff 鈥� and even some Republicans.
With almost no votes to spare in Johnson鈥檚 , the speaker is fighting on all fronts 鈥� against Democrats, uneasy rank-and-file Republicans and skeptical GOP senators 鈥� as he works to keep the package on track. Votes set for Tuesday evening are in jeopardy, and the outcome is uncertain.
The package, if approved, would be a crucial part of the budget process as Trump pushes the Republicans who control Congress to approve a massive bill that would , which he secured during his first term but are expiring later this year, while also across federal programs and services.
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Apple shareholders reject a
proposal to scrap the company鈥檚 diversity programs
The shareholder vote rebuffed an attempt to pressure the technology trendsetter into joining President Trump鈥檚 push to scrub corporate programs designed to diversify its workforce.
The drafted by the National Center for Public Policy Research 鈥� 鈥� urged Apple to follow that have retreated from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives currently in the Trump administration鈥檚 crosshairs.
After a brief presentation about the anti-DEI proposal, Apple announced shareholders had rejected it without disclosing the vote tally. The preliminary results will be outlined in a regulatory later Tuesday.
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Speaker Mike Johnson doubles down on DOGE cuts to government
House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the town hall attacks against GOP lawmakers this past week as coordinated complaints by those opposed to President Donald Trump鈥檚 agenda.
The Republican says he鈥檚 excited that Musk is able to step in for Congress to slash government.
鈥淵ou ought to be standing up and applauding,鈥� Johnson said at his weekly press conference, 鈥渁nd we all do.鈥�
21 federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk slash government
More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk鈥檚 , saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to 鈥渄ismantle critical public services.鈥�
鈥淲e swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,鈥� the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. 鈥淗owever, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.鈥�
The employees also warned that many of those enlisted by Musk to help him slash the size of the federal government under President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration were political ideologues who did not have the necessary skills or experience for the task ahead of them.
The mass resignation of engineers, data scientists and product managers is a temporary setback for Musk and the Republican president鈥檚 It comes amid a flurry of court challenges that have sought to stall, stop or unwind their efforts to fire or coerce out of jobs.
The staffers who resigned worked for what was once known as the , an office established during President Barack Obama鈥檚 administration after the botched rollout of Healthcare.gov, the web portal that millions of Americans use to sign up for insurance plans through the Democrat鈥檚 signature health care law.
New York鈥檚 governor wants to hire federal workers fired by DOGE
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday welcomed recently laid-off federal workers to apply for state jobs using an online portal.
鈥淭he federal government might say, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e fired,鈥� but here in New York, we say, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e hired.鈥� In fact, we love federal workers,鈥� Hochul said in a videotaped statement.
Job cuts in the federal government have been coordinated by Elon Musk鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency under the stated goal of slashing government bureaucracy. There鈥檚 no official tally of the total number of firings.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is heading to the US base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
He鈥檚 making the trip Tuesday to get a first hand look at the new migrant center.
The base is being used as a temporary detention facility for immigrants who鈥檝e illegally entered the U.S. and are waiting to return to their home country or other destination.
Hegseth, who was assigned to Guantanamo Bay when he was on active duty, has called it a 鈥減erfect place鈥� to house them.
He鈥檚 expected to meet with U.S. troops deployed to the base to help with preparations and security at the center. And he also plans to see sailors on the USS Thomas Hudner, a Navy destroyer that鈥檚 docked there.
The Navy base is known for holding a number of suspects captured after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The U.S. has been flying immigrants to Guantanamo since early February, where they鈥檙e kept in low-security tent facilities.
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan defends the company鈥檚 efforts to diversity its workforce
Though he avoided the 鈥淒EI鈥� label Tuesday that鈥檚 come under attack from President Trump and many of his appointees.
鈥淲e have a very diverse company in terms of representation from all economic stratas, all races, all ethnicities,鈥� Moynihan said during an interview at the Economic Club of Washington with David Rubenstein, a co-founder of the private equity firm Carlyle Group. 鈥淥nce they get in, the opportunity is there of a lifetime.鈥�
Bank of America has hired 30,000 people from low- and moderate-income communities in the past decade, Moynihan said.
Many large companies have come under pressure to dismantle their diversity, equity and inclusion programs, with Apple being the as a conservative think tank has pressured it to drop its DEI efforts. Apple shareholders are expected, however, on Tuesday to vote in favor of keeping the programs.
Trump鈥檚 pick for budget office deputy director has anti-abortion history
, Trump鈥檚 pick for deputy director of the office of management and budget and whose confirmation hearing is Tuesday, would help the office鈥檚 director make funding decisions related to federal reproductive health programs.
This includes funding for the family planning program Title X, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, the United Nations鈥� sexual and reproductive health agency and for typically religiously affiliated anti-abortion centers often referred to as .
Bishop has long been a vocal opponent of abortion rights and, as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, has supported legislation banning nearly all abortions with no exceptions in the case of rape or incest. During his time as a U.S. representative from North Carolina from 2019 to 2025, he consistently voted in favor of abortion restrictions, including cosponsoring a bill that would have granted constitutional protection to embryos nationwide.
UK to raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, Starmer says two days before Trump meeting
In making the pledge Tuesday, said Europe is in a new era of insecurity that requires a 鈥済enerational response.鈥�
The announcement comes two days before Starmer is due at the White House to try to persuade to maintain American and the .
鈥淲e must stand by Ukraine, because if we do not achieve a lasting peace, then the economic instability and threats to our security, they will only grow,鈥� Starmer told lawmakers in the House of Commons.
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The FBI鈥檚 new deputy director is a popular podcaster 鈥� who has had plenty to say about the agency
The popular right-wing podcaster has built a career of unleashing sometimes inflammatory rants against the media, Democrats and the federal government.
Now, the 50-year-old former New York police officer and U.S. Secret Service agent he has so often criticized as Trump鈥檚 selection for deputy FBI director. He said Monday he鈥檒l soon leave his daily show to take on the new role.
Bongino, who will serve under , does not have any experience at the premier federal law enforcement agency. Nonetheless, he has strong opinions about how it should be run.
A sampling of Bongino鈥檚 podcast commentary from the past year reveals he鈥檚 a loyalist to Patel and wants to see sweeping changes, from clearing the bureau of anyone he views as inappropriately political to redirecting investigations away from domestic extremism.
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Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musk鈥檚 DOGE are expected to produce no savings
That鈥檚 according to the Trump administration鈥檚 own data.
The , run by Trump adviser Elon Musk, last week of 1,125 contracts it terminated in recent weeks across the federal government. Data published on DOGE鈥檚 鈥淲all of Receipts鈥� shows more than one-third of the contract cancellations, 417 in all, are expected to yield no savings.
That鈥檚 usually because the total value of the contracts has already been fully obligated, which means the government has a legal requirement to spend the funds for the goods or services it purchased and in many cases has already done so.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like confiscating used ammunition after it鈥檚 been shot when there鈥檚 nothing left in it. It doesn鈥檛 accomplish any policy objective,鈥� said Charles Tiefer, a retired University of Baltimore law professor and expert on government contracting law. 鈥淭heir terminating so many contracts pointlessly obviously doesn鈥檛 accomplish anything for saving money.鈥�
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FDA moves to rehire medical device, food safety and other staffers fired days earlier
Barely a week after , some probationary staffers received unexpected news over the weekend: The government wants them back.
The reversal is the latest example of Trump and Musk鈥檚 to cost-cutting, which has resulted in several agencies firing, and then , employees responsible for , and other government services.
The FDA reinstatements followed pushback by lobbyists for the medical device industry, which pays the agency hundreds of millions of dollars annually to hire extra scientists to review products. The industry鈥檚 leading trade group said Monday 鈥渁 sizable number鈥� of device reviewers appear to be returning to FDA.
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Federal workers return to offices
Federal employees across the country, many of whom have worked from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, were back at agency offices Monday under .
Musk, meanwhile, who is scouring government agencies for suspected waste, delivered a warning Monday to workers on his platform X.
鈥淪tarting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave,鈥� Musk wrote.
However, it appears at least some federal agencies are not prepared for all remote workers to return to the office.
In an email to U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid employees on Friday obtained by The Associated Press, agency officials noted that some regional offices in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco were not ready for workers to return. The message also noted that employees who live more than 50 miles from regional offices in some major cities would not be required to return to the office Monday.
The email also noted that while some workers would begin reporting to offices Monday, others would begin relocating back to offices in phases through April and beyond.
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Trump backs Musk as he roils the federal workforce with demands and threats
Trump is backing demand that federal employees explain their recent accomplishments by the end of Monday or risk getting fired, even as government agency officials were told that compliance with Musk鈥檚 edict was voluntary.
The Republican president said has found 鈥渉undreds of billions of dollars in fraud鈥� as he suggested that federal paychecks are going to nonexistent employees. He did not present evidence for his claims.
Even as Trump and Musk pressed their case, the Office of Personnel Management informed agency leaders that their workers were not required to respond by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters.
The conflicting directives led to varying advice for federal employees, depending on where they work. Some were told to answer the request for a list of five things that they did last week, others were informed it was optional, and others were directed not to answer at all.
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The Associated Press
