The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) does not have the statutory authority to fire people, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. Leavitt told CNN that DOGE has only an advisory role and "it's ultimately up to the discretion of these secretaries to make these hirings and firings.

In November, then President-elect Donald Trump said Elon Musk “will lead” the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump set up DOGE on his first day in office via executive order, but now the White House says Musk isn’t the one leading the office—he isn’t a part of the department at all.