DOGE issues return-to-office order

Elon Musk’s influence on the federal government has reached new heights, with a memo going out to millions of federal employees with a simple message: get on board or take a permanent, (and expensive!) paid vacation.

The Trump administration just sent a DOGE-infused ultimatum to much of the federal workforce: opt in to working in your office or take our buyout. According to the White House, “We’re five years past Covid and just 6 percent of federal employees work full-time in office.” President Donald Trump and Musk have made it clear that a return to in-person work is nonnegotiable. 

The ultimatum, described in a post as “a fork in the road,” would bring the federal government in-line with where the private sector has been moving in recent months and years: back to the office.

The move also shows how much sway Musk has in the government; after he purchased Twitter, he sent almost exactly the same note to staff, telling them that they could opt in and stay, becoming “hardcore,” or could resign. While Musk lost his fellow DOGEfather, Vivek Ramaswamy, the memo suggests that Musk himself isn’t going anywhere. 

The federal government and Twitter are, of course, animals of different magnitudes; but this clever trick helps Musk and Trump get around the arcane series of laws that makes it nearly impossible to fire underperforming bureaucrats.

DOGE confirmed that those who choose the “deferred resignation offer” can “just watch movies and chill, while receiving your full government pay and benefits.”

For many, the fork in the road just got a lot clearer; the administration expects 5 to 10 percent of employees to take the paid vacation. 

In the meantime, for those frustrated with the Trump administration’s pause on federal-aid spending, rest assured: if you don’t like the status quo of this move’s implementation, just wait five minutes and it will have changed. That’s how things looked today, at least…

–Matthew Foldi

On our radar

NJ DRONE UPDATE The White House said the drones spotted in New Jersey in the last few months were a mix of hobbyist devices and FAA-authorized drones used for research and study. Officials did not address why this information was not announced earlier but said, “This was not the enemy.”

JAB DODGERS President Donald Trump has authorized the reinstatement of all military members discharged for refusing the Covid-19 vaccine. Those who reinstate will receive full back pay, benefits and reinstatement of their rank and service.

EXPANDED MEDIA ACCESS The White House has reinstated the press passes of 440 journalists whose passes were revoked by the Biden administration and has opened their briefing room to “New Media” to expand executive access to independent journalists, content creators, influencers and non-legacy news outlets.

The latest confirmation hearings

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Howard Lutnick and Kelly Loeffler — Trump’s picks to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration, respectively — had their Senate confirmation hearings today. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee also voted 12-10, along party lines, to send attorney general nominee Pam Bondi’s nomination to the Senate chamber for a final vote. 

Of today’s hearings, the most contentious was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s, who sparred with members of the Finance Committee. At one point, Senator Bernie Sanders referenced baby anti-vaxx onesies sold by Kennedy’s organization for $26. “Now you’re coming before this committee and you’re saying you’re pro-vaccine, and yet your organization […] casts fundamental doubt on the usefulness of vaccines.”

Kennedy also traded some barbs with Senator Elizabeth Warren, who suggested that the nominee could abuse his power to benefit himself financially. “The bottom line is the same, Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it. Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.”

In Lutnick’s hearing, when asked about vigilance vis-à-vis China, the chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Group suggested that the Chinese government stole intellectual property to produce DeepSeek, the recently released AI model that crashed American chip-giant Nvidia’s stock. “How could it be more clear than this week when DeepSeek, a Chinese AI, says they were able to create things dirt cheap? How? By leveraging what they’ve taken from us, stolen from us.”

In addition to RFK’s second hearing, tomorrow the Hill will also welcome FBI director pick Kash Patel and national intelligence director pick Tulsi Gabbard. These three are the most controversial of the yet-to-be-confirmed Cabinet nominees, making C-SPAN worth the watch Thursday morning. 

–Juan P. Villasmil

Kamala’s desperate plea to appear on Rogan

How badly did Kamala Harris want to go on Joe Rogan’s podcast? So badly that she built an entire campaign rally in Texas around the possibility of appearing on the most-listened-to podcast in America, according to reporting in the Hill.

According to reporting by Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen, Harris’s team — led by Rob Flaherty — made advanced inroads with Rogan’s crew, whom they expected to be “juiced-up, UFC-looking supplement people,” only to find them more like Hollywood types that Harris’s team should have been used to.

Rogan’s team was adamant with Harris: she needed to come to him, there needed to be no staff in the room, and nothing could be off limits. They appeared to agree on the first two, but Harris’s team wanted to discuss “social-media censorship, weed and other issues they thought would be of most interest to his listeners.” Rogan’s team was dismissive. “Joe just wants to talk about the economy, the border and abortion,” Harris’s team was told.

After days of back-and-forth discussions, Harris’s team asked for Rogan to come to her. Perhaps her team could spend more than $100,000 on a temporary studio like it did for her Call Her Daddy podcast appearance? No dice. In fact, the date Harris’s team had requested ended up being when Rogan patched things up with Donald Trump and filmed their viral podcast.

Harris’s podcast strategy fell flat. Her consolation prize was her Texas rally that had been built around her being able to quickly jet off to Rogan’s studio, only to find out the doors would be closed to her.

At least she’d have Beyoncé perform on stage with her, right? Nope. The famous singer wouldn’t even sing her song “Freedom.” Instead, she spoke and left Harris’s fans disappointed.

Perhaps a fitting image for the final days of the Harris campaign.

–Cockburn