NBC-President Donald Trump is preparing for the first full Cabinet meeting of his new term, with billionaire Elon Musk set to join discussions amid mounting frustration over rapid government cuts. Outside the Department of Health and Human Services, protesters gathered to denounce deep funding reductions to medical research and public health programs. "This is what democracy looks like!" demonstrators chanted. Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, warned that the cuts could have life-threatening consequences. "It's about whether people live and die," Wolfson stated.
Fired federal workers made their way to Capitol Hill, seeking assistance from lawmakers. Sydney Smith, a former Forest Service accountant, dismissed claims that employees were being fired due to poor performance. "We're in it because we love our country, and they're firing us saying we have performance problems. That's not the case," Smith said. Confusion is also spreading among remaining federal employees over a Musk-backed initiative requiring workers to list five tasks they completed in the past week. Trump's Human Resources Department says responding is voluntary, but Musk has indicated employees could be fired for failing to comply.
When asked about the matter, Trump gave a mixed response: "Well, it's somewhat voluntary, but it's also, if you don't answer, I guess you get fired," the president said. "What it really is, is -- do people exist?" Adding to the turmoil, 21 employees from the U.S. Digital Service resigned, citing concerns that their expertise would be used to "compromise core government systems, jeopardize sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services." Musk dismissed the resignations, calling the workers "political holdovers" who refused to return to in-person work.
Trump's legislative agenda cleared a major hurdle in the House, where Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution. The plan includes funding for mass deportations and tax cuts, while slashing up to $2 trillion from the federal budget -- though specific details remain unclear.