A healthcare worker has hit out at Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on social media after learning she had been fired from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
Arielle Kane, who lives in Washington D.C., said the move would disrupt efforts to boost “maternal health outcomes AT LOWER COSTS” and came despite officials insisting Medicare workers would be protected.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Musk, via the Tesla and SpaceX press offices, for comment on Sunday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Musk has called for sweeping cuts to federal government spending, claiming it should be reduced by up to $2 trillion per year compared to a 2024 total of $6.75 trillion, according to Treasury Department figures.
Supporters argue this will boost efficiency and help tackle and U.S. national debt, while critics argue it will reduce access to government services.
BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP/GETTY
What To Know
On X, formerly Twitter, Kane wrote: “Hey! Elon Musk your doge minions just fired me and my colleagues at CMMI. We were working on improving maternal health outcomes AT LOWER COSTS so that less pregnant women would die in this county. I thought that would fit nicely into your agenda?”
Hey! @elonmusk your doge minions just fired me and my colleagues at CMMI. We were working on improving maternal health outcomes AT LOWER COSTS so that less pregnant women would die in this county. I thought that would fit nicely into your agenda?
— Arielle Kane (@ariellesophia) February 15, 2025
She later added: “The admin told media yesterday that the HHS cuts were ‘targeted’ and didn’t included [sic] scientists or people working on Medicare & Medicaid. Well I know of scientists who got fired and I work on Medicaid. Just wanted to point out when you get things wrong—like you requested.”
According to Politico on Friday, HHS began dismissing 3,600 probationary employees, who had generally been employed for less than one year, in collaboration with DOGE.
Kane’s tweets followed layoffs of probationary employees across other departments which began on Thursday, including 1,000 staff from the Department of Veterans Affairs and 800 workers at the U.S. Forest Service.
Earlier, President Donald Trump’s administration offered federal employees a buyout, which would see them keep their pay and benefits until the end of September in exchange for quitting their jobs. Roughly 2.3 million people work for the federal government.
Trump administration officials had insisted Medicare employees and front-line healthcare workers would be exempt from the layoffs, but it is unclear if this was supposed to include CMMI staff.
The CMMI is a branch of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which claims it “develops and tests health care payment and service delivery models to improve patient care, lower costs, and align payment systems to promote patient-centered practices.”
What People Are Saying
Responding to Kane, Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat, wrote: “Arielle, I thank you. You are a true patriot and my heart breaks for our country right now, but despite the lies they put out about you and other amazing federal workers, I’ll continue to fight to set the record straight.”
Richard Angwin, a self-styled “progressive” with over 185,000 X followers, added: “Hey Elon, Firing people working on vital maternal health improvements? Your ‘efficiency’ drive is costing lives, not saving money. This move is shortsighted and cruel. Time to rethink your priorities.”
What Happens Next
Cuts to federal government spending are expected to continue, and will need to expand substantially if Musk is to reduce expenditure by anything close to $2 trillion per year.
This is likely to spark more conflict with federal employees and their unions, with workers telling Newsweek earlier this month that morale has fallen sharply since Trump returned to the White House.
