WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump vowed on Thursday to use a "scalpel" rather than a "hatchet" in federal workforce cuts, a statement made amid growing dissatisfaction and criticism of the aggressive layoffs in recent weeks.

"DOGE has been an incredible success, and now that we have my Cabinet in place, I have instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost Cutting measures and Staffing," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk.

"As the Secretaries learn about, and understand, the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go. We say the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet,'" Trump continued.

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"It's very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it's also important to keep the best and most productive people," he added.

The US president also noted that he just had a meeting with most of the Secretaries, Musk and others, and "it was a very positive one." He added that they're going to have these meetings every two weeks until that aspect of this job is done.

"The move -- to both publicly support Mr Musk and also reel in some of his indiscriminate approach - reflects a growing unease among Republicans with the chain saw that Mr Musk has taken to the federal government and the disdain he conveys not just for the bureaucracy but the work force itself," said a report by The New York Times.

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"Some cabinet members have voiced concerns to the White House about the chaotic nature of Mr Musk's 'ready, fire, aim' method of cuts, according to multiple people briefed on the matter, and his approach has dominated news coverage," the report said.

Since DOGE began its work at the end of January, more than 30,000 US federal employees have been laid off across the country, according to media reports. The White House previously stated that approximately 75,000 federal employees have accepted a "buyout" plan, which offers them eight months of salary for "deferred resignation."

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That means that over 100,000 federal employee positions have been slashed, accounting for about 4.5 percent of the 2.3 million federal workforce, moving closer to the White House's target of reducing the workforce by 5-10 percent.

On Wednesday, US media reported that the Trump administration is planning to cut over 70,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs, aiming to return its workforce to 2019 levels of just under 400,000 employees.