Aides to Elon Musk, tasked with running the U.S. government’s human resources agency, have locked career civil servants out of computer systems containing the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two officials at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Since taking office 11 days ago, President Trump has launched a sweeping overhaul of the federal government, dismissing or sidelining hundreds of civil servants in his effort to reduce bureaucracy.
Musk was tapped by Trump to shrink the civilian federal workforce, which numbers approximately 2.2 million. Since assuming control of OPM, Musk’s team has moved quickly to replace key personnel and limit access to sensitive databases, the officials said.
Among the restricted systems is the Enterprise Human Resources Integration database, which holds detailed information on federal employees, including dates of birth, Social Security numbers, performance appraisals, home addresses, pay grades, and length of service.
Affected employees can still access email and basic functions but have been cut off from the vast workforce datasets. OPM has circulated memos encouraging civil servants to consider buyout offers, urging them to take a “dream destination” vacation.
A team, including current and former Musk employees, took control of OPM on Jan. 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration. According to an agency employee, the team has moved sofa beds onto the fifth floor, where the director’s office is located, allowing them to work around the clock. Access to that floor is restricted to those with a security badge or an authorized escort.
