WASHINGTON — During a weekend television appearance, Utah Sen. John Curtis (R) said if he could advise Elon Musk about his drastic cost-cutting measures throughout the federal government, he'd ask him to use compassion.
Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Curtis was asked about the current firings that have seen thousands of federal employees lose their jobs, including in Utah.
"If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages," Curtis said. "We- it's a false narrative to say we have to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well.
"We can do both."
Curtis, who was elected in November to replace Sen. Mitt Romney, also pushed back on President Donald Trump's assertion that the deep cuts were about "getting rid of bad people."
"You know, I regret that narrative. We all know thousands- millions of federal workers who are good people, who work hard," said Curtis.
While somewhat admonishing Musk for his callousness, Curtis used an example from his time as Provo's mayor to show empathy while also making difficult job cuts.
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"We did a lot through attrition. But every single person we let go, I met with personally. I looked them in the eye. I told them why we had to do it. How can we then help you transition to the next thing?," he said. "We can do both things."
Curtis's appearance came the day after Musk appeared at a Conservative Political Action Committee event while brandishing a chainsaw, and hours after the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency sent an email demanding federal employees document what they accomplished each and every week.
Many federal agencies have since told employees to ignore Musk's demand.
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Curtis added that while federal employees who have recently lost their jobs should be shown empathy, the movement to cut costs is what voters allegedly chose by electing Trump to office for another term.
"Like this is not a normal moment," explained Curtis. "We have tried- we've tried for years to do this gracefully. We've tried for years to do this slowly, and we have failed consistently. And the American people said, enough. We're tired of this. You have to make these changes."
