Please put a dose of compassion in this,” Curtis said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It's a false narrative to say we have to cut and be cruel to do it as well.

The F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and others told employees not to respond to a directive from Mr. Musk to summarize their accomplishments.