Federal employees are quietly editing job descriptions to protect roles from DOGE scrutiny

New York
CNN
—

As President-elect Donald Trump’s administration prepares to take over Washington, some federal employees are quietly changing the language of job descriptions and performance reviews in an effort to protect roles and critical government functions from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump tapped to lead the initiative from the outside, have said they plan to recommend cutting the federal workforce, cutting the government’s annual budget by at least $1 trillion and limiting regulations.

Ahead of the initiative’s implementation, five sources with knowledge of the effort, including senior officials from multiple agencies, told CNN that some workers are removing references to “political” decision-making and terms related to diversity programs from written job descriptions, duties and performance. reviews to protect the roles from possible cuts.

“People are definitely figuring out how to communicate what they’ve done and are doing to try to escape scrutiny,” a federal employee told CNN.

Even among those who support efforts to streamline government and make it more efficient, some fear the effort will be a handout. One concern among federal workers is that DOGE will propose cuts using an “axe, not a scalpel” and use artificial intelligence to target buzzwords in job descriptions without carefully studying the roles, some said.

DOGE has no direct authority to make spending cuts, legislative changes or other moves — that authority rests with Congress — though Musk’s comments have proven to weigh heavily with lawmakers. While the DOGE effort exists outside of government and is likely to make recommendations, Musk is allegedly set to have an office inside the White House.

Representatives for DOGE, Musk and Ramaswamy did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.

The employees CNN spoke with said the moves were not part of a larger, coordinated effort across agencies. Instead, leaders in some agencies take it upon themselves — some at the direction of the agency’s top appointees — to secure positions and policies. While some are worried about losing their jobs and livelihoods, several employees told CNN they are also trying to protect roles that are critical to an agency’s functioning.

President-elect Donald Trump, who has derided government officials as agents of the “deep state,” promised on the campaign trail to reinstate a 2020 executive order known as Schedule F, which created a new job category for federal employees in policy-related positions. The order removed much of the federal protections for civil servants, making it easier to fire workers. President Joe Biden later rescinded the order shortly after taking office.

Ahead of the order’s possible reinstatement, a senior staffer said they were advised by their agency’s “front office” to redact “any job description that mentioned politics.”

“Managers could choose to quietly adjust a career official’s job description so that the functionality of the job remained the same, but would say ‘provide guidance’ instead of ‘provide policy guidance,'” the staffer told CNN. “It makes their role seem less political and politically oriented.”

Other federal employees said there was more focus on editing everything related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, which have become a right-wing bogeyman that Musk has vowed to purge from the government.

Another employee at another agency said that since Election Day, more people have stopped using DEI terms in performance reviews and in hiring processes.

A person familiar with the effort said some federal employees fear it could mean roles unrelated to DEI policies would also be targeted. As an example, the person said employees can edit job descriptions for finance roles that use the words “equity” or “diversification,” even if they have nothing to do with DEI programs. The fear, the person said, is that the incoming administration will try to cut something with these buzzwords without looking at the context.

Jason Briefel, director of policy and legislative affairs for the Senior Executive Association, which represents thousands of the most senior career members of the federal government, confirmed to CNN that some individuals at federal agencies are making edits around issues such as DEI policies.

“It’s consistent with what many organizations and the private sector are doing to change the words they use,” Briefel said.