Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy "said the young staff of DOGE was trying to lay off air traffic controllers. What am I supposed to do? Mr. Duffy said. I have multiple plane crashes to deal with now, and your people want me to fire air traffic controllers?"

Newsweek covered the meeting's aftermath.

"During an Oval Office press conference after the meeting, Trump expressed a preference for Musk to fire fewer federal workers..."

https://www.newsweek.com/elon-musks-short-reaction-after-mee...

From Politico:

"According to two administration officials, Trump told top members of his administration that Musk was empowered to make recommendations to the departments but not to issue unilateral decisions on staffing and policy..."

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/06/trump-cabinet-musk-...

> At another point, Mr. Musk insisted that people hired under diversity, equity and inclusion programs were working in control towers. Mr. Duffy pushed back and Mr. Musk did not add details, but said during the longer back and forth that Mr. Duffy had his phone number and should call him if he had any issues to raise.

> The exchange ended with Mr. Trump telling Mr. Duffy that he had to hire people from M.I.T. as air traffic controllers. These air traffic controllers need to be “geniuses,” he said.

These are definitely bleak and comical times.