Several high-ranking government officials have resigned from the Trump Administration, citing a government streamlining effort.
These career officials, many with experience in prior administrations, criticized President Trump and Elon Musk for allegedly pressuring employees deemed disloyal to leave their positions. In February, the Trump Administration, collaborating with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Musk, instructed agencies to dismiss most probationary and temporary staff.
Below is a list of officials who resigned in protest.
Director of the FDA’s food division
Jim Jones, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s food division, resigned on Feb. 17, citing extensive agency cuts that rendered his continued service pointless.
In his resignation letter, Jones stated his intention to work towards improving American health by reducing diet-related illnesses and chemical risks in food. He cited the Trump administration’s disregard for the personnel crucial for food safety reform as the reason for his departure.
Jones, who joined the agency in September 2023, recently oversaw the Biden administration’s initiatives in January and the FDA’s investigation into contaminated applesauce linked to numerous childhood lead poisoning cases. He estimated that 89 of his division’s 2,000 staff members were dismissed as part of the Trump administration’s cuts.
Jones also criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly appointed secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for falsely accusing food staff of corruption.
Acting SSA commissioner
Michelle King, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration, resigned after the DOGE requested access to sensitive American citizen data. King refused to provide this information and was subsequently replaced by Leland Dudek.
King had a 30-year career at the agency, overseeing retiree and disability benefits. Trump claimed King was fired, not resigned.
GSA engineering lead
Steven Reilly, a lead engineer at the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services, resigned on Feb. 18 after a DOGE associate requested access to sensitive data, including personally identifiable information (PII).
Reilly stated in a message to colleagues that the request lacked justification and that granting full access to PII was unacceptable. While offering alternatives, such as read-only access, the request for full administrative access was not withdrawn.
Reilly led the engineering team for a government system used for mass public text messaging.
Career Justice Department officials
Numerous Justice Department officials, including top prosecutors in Washington, D.C., and New York, resigned since Trump took office, protesting his efforts to overhaul the department.
Dozens resigned after acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered the dismissal of corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams, who pleaded not guilty, has developed ties with Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, particularly on immigration issues.
Those who resigned include Danielle Sassoon, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York; Hagan Scotten, assistant U.S. attorney with the Southern District of New York; John Keller, acting head of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section; and Kevin Driscoll, acting head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Elsewhere, Bradley Weinsheimer, a senior ethics official, accepted a deferred resignation after a reassignment attempt. Weinsheimer had served 34 years with the department.
Denise Cheung, head of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., resigned on Feb. 18 after being ordered to open a grand jury investigation into Biden-era climate funds, which she deemed premature and lacking evidence. She refused the order to freeze the funding, arguing it required probable cause of a crime.