Trump 2nd term updates: Trump excludes low-value shipments from looming tariffs

Twenty-one federal employees who previously worked for the United States Digital Service, which President Donald Trump renamed via executive order to the United States DOGE Service, released a letter on Tuesday resigning in protest, claiming they would not use their technical skills to "dismantle critical public services."

"We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans' sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services. We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE's actions," the letter reads.

Over 20 employees, who were part of USDS prior to the name change and not hired by Musk, resigned including the head of IT, multiple engineers and product managers, according to the letter, which lists them anonymously.

-ABC News' Will Steakin

House Republicans remain divided over the budget blueprint to jumpstart the process to advance Trump's agenda, putting a vote planned this evening in jeopardy as Speaker Mike Johnson attempts to rally his rank and file.

Following a closed-door conference meeting, GOP leaders say that while the hope is still to move forward tonight with a floor vote, it could slip further into the week. There are several lawmakers who have splintered off to publicly oppose the measure, while even more hold back their support with the hope of extracting changes.

"​​We're planning to take up our budget resolution as early as today," Johnson, R-La., told reporters, suggesting the vote may get pushed. "There may be a vote tonight. There may not be. Stay tuned. That's why you get paid. Hang around here."

Johnson and his leadership team have worked for weeks to mollify concerns – an effort the speaker says will continue with holdouts Tuesday afternoon.

Currently, there are four public no votes, including Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson and Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz. The speaker can only afford to lose one defection before a second betrayal kills the effort.

--ABC News' Lauren Peller

DOGE emails were sent to federal judges asking them to explain their work, according to a spokesperson for the Northern District of Illinois.

"Once we learned about the correspondence, Chief Judge Virginia Kendall and Clerk of Court Thomas Bruton communicated with the staff that as we are judiciary employees, our policies and procedures are governed by the Judicial Conference of the United States and our local court HR handbooks," Julia Hodek said in a statement to ABC News. "The email was not sent by or at the direction of the Judicial Conference, the Administrative Office, or our Court. Our communication was then followed up by a memo from the Director's Office of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts that reinforced the same message."

Supreme Court justices and staff have not received the email, according to sources.

Bloomberg Law first reported the messages appearing in inboxes of federal judges offices.

-ABC News' Devin Dwyer and Ariane Nalty

Dozens of fired federal employees protested in Senate office buildings, crowding into the office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and the personal office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Tuesday morning.

The protestors barged into Murkowski's office, demanding a meeting with the moderate senator or a member of her staff.

Ultimately, a member of her staff agreed to speak and the protestors were asked to leave to talk with that staffer in the hallway.

Five protesters were allowed into Thune's office while the rest were asked to leave.

"I'm not sure that they have an understanding or appreciation of what any federal government agency or department does," former USAID employee Elizabeth Glidden told ABC News when asked about Musk and Trump.

"Yes, USAID was the first but this is also about our colleagues at the VA and CFPB and at the Pentagon," she added.

-ABC News' Jay O'Brien