Musk Allies Cut Team Tasked with Improving Government Operations

The Trump administration’s latest gambit to make the federal government more efficient was closing an office that improves public services.

All 33 Office of Personnel Management employees assigned to tackle customer service issues across the government have either left voluntarily or been fired since President Donald Trump took office, according to two former OPM employees. The latest wave of firings at The Lab, the name of the team, occurred April 18.

The dismantling of The Lab is the latest example of the Trump administration’s changes at the OPM aimed at making government more efficient, an effort led by billionaire Elon Musk and his allies at the Department of Government Efficiency. In the process, the administration fired a team that has long worked on that same goal.

A spokeswoman for OPM Acting Director Chuck Ezell did not immediately respond to Bloomberg Law’s request for comment. Trump has staffed OPM with several Musk associates and former employees.

The OPM created the innovation lab in 2012 and assigned the team to fix bugs in a website for federal job seekers.

The OPM tasked the team with tackling complex issues using a problem solving technique known a human-centered design. The tactic is popular with consulting firms such as McKinsey & Co Inc, Deloitte LLP, and Accenture Inc. It involves approaching problems from the perspective of the customer.

In recent years, The Lab helped Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers devise solutions to prevent veteran suicides. As part of the project, OPM staff interviewed 46 veterans in six states to learn about their experiences with the Veterans Health Administration, according to a project report.

During the Biden administration, the team designed a checklist for federal employees approaching retirement, helping the OPM cut down on questions from soon-to-be retirees.