Federal agencies continued to lay off workers Friday. The cuts come after President Trump signed an executive order this week directing agencies to prepare for "large-scale" reductions in force.

Elon Musk has emerged as a key figure in President Trump's plans to reshape the government. Here's a recap of this week with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team he leads.

Employees across several agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Education and Department of Energy, have all been affected, with many being given notice Thursday.

President Trump, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have touted billions in terminated contracts deemed wasteful, but there's little transparency about how savings are tracked.

Special government employees, or SGEs, are typically hired on a temporary basis as experts or consultants or serve as members of federal advisory committees.

Musk and other Silicon Valley executives have long railed against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for its work overseeing the tech industry. Now, Musk hopes to eliminate the agency.

The remaining employees at the General Services Administration are being warned that their work will be heavily monitored, from their swipes into the office to what they type on their computers.

Trump and Musk spoke as the president signed a new executive order calling on the heads of federal agencies to "promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force."

Staffers at the U.S. cybersecurity agency working on countering foreign disinformation and on election security have been put on leave, according to sources who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal.

The Trump administration is reviewing contracts across the federal housing agency. Some employees worry about potentially "devastating" cuts, though union leaders also hope some good may come of it.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Rep. Pete Sessions, co-chair of the House DOGE Caucus, on how he plans to work with the Department of Government Efficiency.

The scope of DOGE's work and the identities of the people carrying it out isn't fully clear — leaving agencies and government workers in chaos.

Marko Elez had recently been given special access by a federal judge to highly sensitive payment systems in the Department of Treasury.

An attempt to identify and explain some of the biggest things that happened each week, and draw attention to some that have been overlooked.

After Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved less than 300 essential personnel to continue in jobs past Friday, unions representing USAID workers sue the Trump administration over cuts to the agency.