Today in one sentence: Elon Musk, standing behind the Resolute Desk with Trump in the Oval Office, justified his aggressive push to downsize the federal government; Treasury Department admitted that the Department of Government Efficiency was "mistakenly" and "briefly" granted "read/write" access to a key federal payments database; Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to coordinate with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reduce staffing and limit hiring; the Trump administration fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin one day after his office released a report warning that the agency’s funding freeze and staffing cuts had severely limited oversight of billions in humanitarian aid; eight inspectors general fired by the Trump administration last month sued the White House, arguing that their dismissals violated federal law; Trump and Putin agreed to start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine joining NATO is not a “realistic outcome” and that European nations – not the U.S. – must take the lead in securing the country; the Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence; House Republicans released a budget blueprint that proposes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, at least $1.5 trillion in spending reductions, and a $4 trillion debt limit increase; and Trump, who promised to lower prices on “Day 1,” is now acknowledging that inflation relief will take longer than expected.

1/ Elon Musk, standing behind the Resolute Desk with Trump in the Oval Office, justified his aggressive push to downsize the federal government, saying: “The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what the people are going to get.” Musk, however, dismissed concerns about his unchecked power, insisting his so-called Department of Government Efficiency was “maximally transparent” despite operating in secrecy. Musk, who is an unelected official, described the federal workforce as “an unelected, fourth, unconstitutional branch of government” that he claimed had more power than elected representatives. He framed his efforts as a fight for democracy, saying: “If the bureaucracy’s in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk, who contributed more than $250 million to help get Trump elected, added: “That’s what democracy is all about.” Trump agreed with Musk’s criticisms, arguing that federal workers had too much influence over policy and called Musk’s cuts a fulfillment of his campaign promises. “It seems hard to believe that judges want to try and stop us from looking for corruption,” Trump said, after courts temporarily blocked parts of DOGE’s work, including access to Treasury Department data. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, meanwhile, claimed that court rulings against the Trump administration are coming from “judicial activists” who are creating a “constitutional crisis.” (New York Times / Associated Press / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / NPR / CBS News / CNBC / Politico / Associated Press / The Hill)

2/ Treasury Department admitted that the Department of Government Efficiency was “mistakenly” and “briefly” granted “read/write” access to a key federal payments database, contradicting prior claims that Elon Musk’s team had only “read-only” privileges. Marko Elez, a former SpaceX and X engineer, was granted “read/write” access on Feb. 5, but Treasury officials said he never exercised his editing permissions before they were revoked. Elez resigned on Feb. 6 after racist social media posts surfaced. The disclosure came in court filings amid lawsuits over the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict foreign aid. Democrats accused the administration of misleading Congress about DOGE’s access to Treasury systems. (Politico / ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post)

3/ Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to coordinate with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reduce staffing and limit hiring. “We are going to be signing a very important deal today,” Trump said. “It’s DOGE,” claiming his administration had found “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.” The order requires agencies to replace only one of every four departing employees, except for law enforcement, immigration, and public safety roles. It also installs a DOGE-appointed official at each agency to oversee hiring and mandates large-scale workforce reductions. Federal employee unions pushed back, with National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald warning, “The arbitrary firing of thousands of employees […] would decimate government services.” (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / Semafor )

4/ The Trump administration fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin one day after his office released a report warning that the agency’s funding freeze and staffing cuts had severely limited oversight of billions in humanitarian aid. Martin, who had served since 2023, received an email from the White House notifying him that his position was “terminated, effective immediately.” The Trump administration provided no explanation for the firing, despite legal requirements to notify Congress in advance. His report highlighted risks such as aid diversion to U.S.-designated terrorist organizations and $489 million in food assistance at risk of spoilage or misuse. (Politico / NBC News / Associated Press / CNN / Washington Post / The Guardian)

5/ Eight inspectors general fired by the Trump administration last month sued the White House, arguing that their dismissals violated federal law. The lawsuit claims Trump failed to provide Congress with the required 30-day notice and a substantive explanation for their removal. The plaintiffs are eight of the 17 Senate-confirmed inspectors general are seeking reinstatement. The firings occured four days into Trump’s term were communicated via brief emails citing “changing priorities.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / USA Today / CBS News / Axios / Associated Press / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

  • Several federal employee unions sued Elon Musk and the Office of Personnel Management, claiming the agency violated privacy law by sharing workers’ personal data with Musk’s team. (New York Times)

6/ Trump and Putin agreed to start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. “We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” Trump said, calling the conversation “lengthy and highly productive.” The call followed a prisoner swap in which Russia released American teacher Marc Fogel in exchange for convicted Russian money launderer Alexander Vinnik. Trump suggested Fogel’s release was a sign of goodwill from Moscow, saying, “I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war.” Trump said U.S. and Russian teams would begin negotiations “immediately” and that he had informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. After their call, Zelensky said, “No one wants peace more than Ukraine. Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “These agreements are small steps toward building mutual confidence.” (Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News / Politico / ABC News / Washington Post / Axios / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

7/ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine joining NATO is not a “realistic outcome” and that European nations – not the U.S. – must take the lead in securing the country. “To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine,” Hegseth said at a NATO meeting in Brussels, adding that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an “illusionary goal.” Hegseth also reinforced Trump’s demand for European allies to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, arguing that “the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency.” (CNN / New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / Politico / Bloomberg)

8/ The Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence in a 52-48 vote, with Mitch McConnell joining Democrats in opposition. Some Republicans expressed concerns over Gabbard’s 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her skepticism toward U.S. support for Ukraine, and her previous calls to pardon Edward Snowden. Despite these reservations, Republicans backed her nomination. McConnell, however, criticized her “history of alarming lapses in judgment,” while Chuck Schumer warned, “We simply cannot in good conscience trust our most classified secrets to someone who echoes Russian propaganda.” (NBC News / CNN / New York Times / Axios / Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

  • The Senate voted 53-47 along party lines to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for health secretary, setting up a final confirmation vote likely on Thursday. Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor and vocal vaccine advocate, voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination, but has not confirmed his final vote. If confirmed, Kennedy will oversee a nearly $2 trillion health department responsible for drug safety, health insurance programs, and infectious disease response. (Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News)

9/ House Republicans released a budget blueprint that proposes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, at least $1.5 trillion in spending reductions, and a $4 trillion debt limit increase. The plan, which would add roughly $3 trillion to the deficit over a decade, includes cuts to Medicaid and food programs for low-income Americans while allocating $300 billion for defense and immigration enforcement. House Republicans aim to pass the resolution using the reconciliation process, which allows them to push Trump’s fiscal agenda through the Senate with a simple majority. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are advancing a separate, narrower budget focused on border security, defense, and energy. (Axios / Politico / New York Times / NBC News)

10/ Trump, who promised to lower prices on “Day 1,” is now acknowledging that inflation relief will take longer than expected. Inflation, meanwhile, increased in January, with consumer prices up 3% annually and core inflation reaching 3.3% – both higher than forecasted. Monthly inflation increased 0.5% from December, the largest gain since August 2023. (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post / New York Times / CNBC / Associated Press / Axios / NPR)

The midterm elections are in 629 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. A coalition of media organizations said video evidence from a Jan. 6 rioter’s case had “disappeared” from a government platform, prompting a judge to order the Justice Department to stop further removals and explain the missing files. The Justice Department has not clarified whether the files were intentionally removed. (NPR)

  2. The FBI compiled a list of 3,600 probationary employees, including 1,000 agents, as part of Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce. (New York Times)

  3. The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an Oval Office event after the news agency refused to adopt “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico.” Although Trump’s executive order renamed the body of water, the AP said it would continue using the historical name while acknowledging the change. AP Executive Editor Julie Pace called the decision a violation of press freedom, while the White House Correspondents’ Association condemned the move as “unacceptable.” (CNN / NPR / New York Times / Axios / The Guardian / Bloomberg / Politico)

  4. A House Republican introduced a bill to let Trump buy Greenland and rename it “Red, White, and Blueland.” Rep. Buddy Carter also praised Trump as the “Negotiator-in-Chief.” (HuffPost)

  5. Two transgender high school students in New Hampshire sued to challenge Trump’s executive order banning transgender girls from girls’ sports. The executive order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” threatens to cut federal funding from schools that allow transgender girls to participate. Their lawyers called it part of a broader effort to restrict transgender rights. (CNN)

Five years ago today: Day 1119: "Ought to apologize."
Six years ago today: Day 754: Not happy.
Eight years ago today: Day 24: Shots fired.