The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration is taking action to further tighten control over the hiring and firing of federal employees. As Tesla CEO Elon Musk fades out of the Washington political scene, the U.S. government is positioning key agencies as an important part of the ongoing streamlining of the government system. This work is focused on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in the government's human resources department. According to an agency announcement obtained by The Wall Street Journal, as a core part of Musk's government reform plan, the office has begun directly approving applications for new positions in federal agencies. This marks a major policy shift - previously, agencies typically made their own decisions on position allocations.