Latest news with #OfficeofPersonnelManagement
Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Trump's new human resource czar distances himself from Elon Musk, aims to ‘institutionalise' DOGE
The US government's new human resources chief, Scott Kupor, has said that he had no personal ties with tech billionaire and President Donald Trump's former advisor Elon Musk, as he pledged to faithfully execute the agenda of the Republican leader and said he wants to 'institutionalise' DOGE's (Department of Government Efficiency) pursuit of 'operational efficiency'. Kupor, who was sworn in to lead the Office of Personnel Management earlier this month, has said that he has 'zero relationship with Elon Musk'. 'I have talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life,' he said. Kupor assumes the role as the federal civil service is reeling with staff cuts and mass firing under DOGE, which was earlier being led by Musk. If you're interested in hearing more about our areas of focus at OPM, have a look at the internal message I sent the team today. Lots of big stuff to focus on. — Scott Kupor (@skupor) July 21, 2025 Kupor, who is a former partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, raised objections over some of Musk's methods and the scale of his proposed cuts in the federal government via DOGE. Kupor questioned the method Musk used to push civil servants to report on their weekly progress. But the new human resource czar said the stringent efficiency measure would continue. 'What [DOGE] did was catalyse the start of a process. Now, we have to actually institutionalise those things and pursue operational efficiency,' Kupor said, reported Financial Times. He said that he told resident Trump and others at the White House that his job is 'to do the agenda that the president lays out to the best I can. But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants to do.' Musk, who helped Donald Trump with nearly $300 million in funding to win the US presidential election in November, led DOGE to slash budget and cut the federal workforce until his exit in May amid a rift with President Trump over the latter's 'Big, Beautiful bill'.
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
New Trump human resources czar distances himself from Elon Musk
Some government officials feared Mr Scott Kupor's nomination could be another casualty of the dust-up between Mr Trump and Mr Musk. WASHINGTON - The new chief of the agency spearheading efforts to slash the federal workforce said on July 21 he had no personal ties to tech billionaire and former Trump advisor Elon Musk, pledging to faithfully execute President Donald Trump's agenda. 'I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life,' Mr Scott Kupor, who was sworn in to lead the Office of Personnel Management earlier this month, told reporters. The comments underscored lingering questions about the loyalties of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs among Trump administration officials following a public spat between Mr Trump and Mr Musk that led to a deep rift between the two former allies. Mr Kupor said he had told Mr Trump and other people in the White House that 'my job is to do the agenda that the president lays out to the best I can.' 'But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants to do,' he added. Mr Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Mr Trump win November's presidential election, led the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the budget and cut the federal workforce until his departure in late May to refocus on his tech empire, including electric vehicle maker Tesla . While Mr Trump hailed Mr Musk's tenure upon his departure, the president quickly pulled the nomination of Mr Musk ally and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Reuters previously reported that Mr Musk was disappointed by Mr Isaacman's removal. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World US President Trump 'caught off guard' by Israel's strikes in Syria World US not rushing trade deals ahead of August deadline, will talk with China, Bessent says Opinion Singapore's vaping crisis lays bare the drug addiction nightmare for parents Singapore LTA seeks tailored solutions to improve Bukit Panjang LRT's maintenance inspections Multimedia 'It's very sad': She comforts loved ones turned away by inmates Singapore Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH Opinion Sumiko at 61: 7 facts about facial skin ageing, and skincare ingredients that actually work Opinion With Shatec cutting back operations, what's next for the hospitality sector? The president also threatened to cancel billions of dollars worth of contracts between the federal government and Mr Musk's companies after Mr Musk denounced Mr Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination.' Prior to taking the helm at OPM, Mr Kupor was a partner at Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which invests in Mr Musk's AI startup Xai as well as SpaceX. Some government officials feared Mr Kupor's nomination could be another casualty of the dust-up between Mr Trump and Mr Musk, since he was nominated in December, won a favourable committee vote in April, but did not get a full Senate confirmation vote until July. On July 21, Mr Kupor was also asked about plans for a surprise government-wide email introduced by Mr Musk in February demanding workers summarise five things they achieved at work in the previous week, which sparked tensions with department chiefs and fuelled confusion among government workers. Describing the processing of the weekly response emails as 'very manual' and 'not efficient,' Mr Kupor said the initiative was 'something that we should look at and see, like, are we getting the value out of it that at least the people who put it in place thought they were.' Reuters reported in March that the White House installed two Trump loyalists at OPM to ensure better policy coordination between the White House and the agency after Mr Musk blindsided White House officials with the introduction of the email. REUTERS
The Sun
20 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
New Trump HR chief denies Elon Musk ties amid administration rift
WASHINGTON: The new chief of the agency spearheading efforts to slash the federal workforce said on Monday he had no personal ties to tech billionaire and former Trump advisor Elon Musk, pledging to faithfully execute President Donald Trump's agenda. 'I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life,' Scott Kupor, who was sworn in to lead the Office of Personnel Management earlier this month, told reporters. The comments underscored lingering questions about the loyalties of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs among Trump administration officials following a public spat between Trump and Musk that led to a deep rift between the two former allies. Kupor said he had told Trump and other people in the White House that 'my job is to do the agenda that the president lays out to the best I can.' 'But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants to do,' he added. Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump win November's presidential election, led the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the budget and cut the federal workforce until his departure in late May to refocus on his tech empire, including electric vehicle maker Tesla . While Trump hailed Musk's tenure upon his departure, the president quickly pulled the nomination of Musk ally and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Reuters previously reported that Musk was disappointed by Isaacman's removal. The president also threatened to cancel billions of dollars worth of contracts between the federal government and Musk's companies after Musk denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination.' Prior to taking the helm at OPM, Kupor was a partner at Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which invests in Musk's AI startup Xai as well as SpaceX. - Reuters
The Hill
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Trump nominates new energy regulator to replace Democrat he asked to step down
President Trump on Thursday announced a new nominee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to fill the seat of a previous Democratic commissioner who stepped down at the White House's request. Trump nominated David LaCerte, whose LinkedIn lists him as an official with the White House Office of Personnel Management, to the commission. FERC regulates interstate energy transmission, including electricity and pipelines. LaCerte is also listed as a contributor to Project 2025, a controversial conservative plan for how to run the government under a GOP president such as Trump. FERC is an independent agency made up of five commissioners who serve fixed terms. It can have no more than three commissioners of the same political party. It had a 3-2 Democratic majority. However, Commissioner Willie Phillips stepped down in April, saying, 'I heard from the White House, and they expressed their interest that I step aside.'
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Administration Issues New Guidelines for Religious Workers
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's administration has issued new guidance for working from home for religious federal workers. According to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) memo seen by Newsweek, federal workers may now seek permission to work from home, adjust their hours, or seek other changes to their schedule for faith reasons. Why It Matters There are 2.4 million federal workers in the U.S., making it the largest employer in the country according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Since moving back into the White House for a second term, Trump has overseen a shake-up of this workforce, including by issuing an executive order in January to ban government staff from working from home. The back to office order came as the administration also implemented hiring freezes and mass layoffs and has encouraged employees to point out examples of fraud, waste and abuse within their departments. As for policies relating to religion, in February, Trump, who was confirmed into the Presbyterian Church and has said he identified as a nondenominational Christian, established a White House Faith Office aimed at eliminating what he describes as "anti-Christian bias" within the federal government. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon What To Know The memo, sent by Scott Kupor, the OPM director, and addressed to the heads and acting heads of government departments and agencies said agencies should "adopt a generous approach to approving religious accommodations, prioritizing employee needs while maintaining operational efficiency." It added that departments should allow time off, annual leave, telework and other accommodations when it comes to religious accommodations, when it is reasonably possible. "Agencies should assess telework requests by considering technological feasibility, job requirements, telework eligibility, and other relevant factors. Additionally, an employee must have a written telework agreement," it said. It added: "To the extent that modifications in work schedules do not interfere with the efficient accomplishment of an agency's mission, an employee must be permitted upon request to earn and take religious compensatory time off for a religious observance or practice as required by the employee's personal religious belief." It also suggested adding core hours and flexible hours for workers to perform their duties and interacting with employees with "good-faith" to explore options available to them. The memo said that one of Trump's priorities is ensuring religious liberty in the federal government. What People Are Saying Donald Trump said at a press conference in January: "If people don't come back to work, come back into the office, they're going to be dismissed." What Happens Next The extent to which these changes are implemented remain to be seen. Meanwhile, as his presidency continues, Trump will likely enact further changes to the workforce.
