Republican Confronted in Heated Town Hall Over Trump's Job Cuts, Elon Musk

Constituents in Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District on Thursday pressed Republican Representative Kevin Hern about federal job cuts and their concerns about Elon Musk.

Newsweek has reached out to Hern's press team for comment via email on Saturday.

Why It Matters

Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an unofficial agency established through executive order operating as a White House task force, and has pursued an aggressive initiative to cut the size and scope of the federal government.

DOGE announced heavy staffing cuts that are impacting thousands of employees in different department and agencies.

Many Americans have expressed concern about the speed, number and roles of employees who have been terminated, while many Republicans and allies of President Donald Trump have applauded the swift actions.

The scale of federal job cuts could negatively impact the economy by slowing consumer spending and reducing employment opportunities.

What To Know

Dozens of people gathered Thursday at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in Glenpool, on the outskirts of Tulsa, to speak with Hern, who opened up the meeting touching on the southern border, the federal deficit, and China. But his constituents pressed him on another topic instead—federal job cuts.

Recent federal budget cuts have targeted a variety of sectors, from education to international aid, sparking a broad debate on their impact on essential government functions and public services. Over 200,000 federal workers have been laid off since Trump took office a month ago.

A member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, a key budget-related panel, Hern told the room that he's unaware of how many federal employees have been laid off in Oklahoma.

"We'll get a rollup as they do the continued transparency where we're asking for it by state, so we know, and district, so we know what's going on. It's important. It's moving quickly, as everyone knows and sees," the congressman told local station News on 6.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, in December 2024 there were 53,800 federal government employees in Oklahoma.

Frustrated constituents asked Hern if he will "call Elon Musk in to under oath explain what he's doing?" while another stated that "we're seeing the administration undermine Congress."

Another constituent added, "My concern right now, and I think I speak for a lot of Americans, is Elon Musk." With one constituent budding in later, "And nobody is stopping him."

The GOP congressman told the room that the government's fiscal health is "going to impact all of us in this room, regardless of party and whether you like me or not. We've got to find a way to pay for it and get our fiscal house in order." He did not criticize the federal job cuts, despite his constituents' heated exchanges.

What People Are Saying

Elon Musk wrote on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday: "Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump's instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."

A former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee in Oklahoma City who was recently fired told News 4 on Tuesday: "I had gotten nothing but positive feedback. The practice of using the probationary period as a tool for quick termination, and without proper evaluation or due process, it really undermines both like the principles of good governance and basic workplace fairness...This narrative—that federal employees are just wasteful or crazy—it couldn't be further from the truth. My colleagues and I work very hard to serve our communities and uphold our agency's missions."

Jessica Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, told NPR: "Think of Congress and its budget as the debt-ridden dad on the way to buy a $250,000 Ferrari on the credit card, and DOGE is the $2 off gas card he used along the way. It's great that he saved $2 on gas, but I think his wife may be more concerned about the $250,000 car."

Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), stated in a press release: "These firings are not about poor performance -- there is no evidence these employees were anything but dedicated public servants. They are about power. They are about gutting the federal government, silencing workers and forcing agencies into submission to a radical agenda that prioritizes cronyism over competence."

What Happens Next?

Hern told constituents that he would relay their concerns to the White House.

Several lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration over the legality of the mass layoffs of probationary workers, including several by large unions.