Protesters gathered in front of the American Office for Personnel Management (OPM) this Tuesday, February 04 to protest against the appointment of Elon Musk at the head of the Department for Government Effectiveness (DOGE). The OPP manages the federal civil service, supervising recruitment, management policies, security surveys, pensions, health, and data on federal staff.
Dan Smith, resident of Maryland and son of a former federal employee, insists on the need for a response. “”It is one thing to reduce government size. It is another to try to destroy it. And that’s what’s going on. It’s frightening and disgusting and you have to oppose it “.
For his part, Dante O’Hara, a federal employee, says he is concerned about the rise of racial tensions: “As a black worker, these attacks on diversity and inclusion resemble the Jim Crow 2.0 laws, that is to say a new segregation of the workforce.“Jim Crow laws have historically applied racial and private segregation, African Americans from their rights in the United States from the end of the 19th century.
As a “special government employee”, Musk is exempt from the usual rules of ethics and transparency. Since taking up his post, Musk has already ousted civil servants, access to sensitive databases and ordered the closure of the USAID, arousing the stir of many NGOs and concerns about its responsibility and the rule of law -Unis.
