Sen. Rick Scott said Sunday that Elon Musk has no authority to fire federal workers.
The Florida Republican said firing decisions are in the hands of President Trump and the heads of federal agencies.
“Elon Musk does not have the power to fire people,” Mr. Scott said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “The president of the United States is Donald Trump, and the agency heads are the ones who manage each of their departments, so they’ve got the — they’ve got the decision, that’s what Elon Musk has told me time and time again.”
Mr. Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency in its push to find $1 trillion in wasteful spending.
Democrats have criticized the effort, saying the federal firings have been haphazard. They have also sharply criticized Mr. Musk, saying the world’s richest man is overstepping his authority.
Mr. Musk also has reportedly clashed with agency heads, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who allegedly accused the billionaire tech mogul of pushing falsehoods. Mr. Trump has said Mr. Musk and Mr. Rubio have a great relationship.
Mr. Musk recently told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that he is not to blame for the flurry of federal firings, including those of military veterans.
For his part, Mr. Trump last week said he was instructing department secretaries to work with DOGE and “be very precise” in issuing pink slips.
“I don’t want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut,“ Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office.
On Sunday, Mr. Scott said Mr. Trump is following through on his campaign pledge to scale down the federal government.
“People are fed up with wasteful government spending,” Mr. Scott said. “We will not get interest rates down, we will not get inflation under control until we balance the budget. That is what we have to do and Elon Musk is part of the process of balancing the budget.”
