On Monday, a wave of uncertainty and turmoil swept through federal workplaces as numerous employees received an ultimatum from Elon Musk, appointed by President Trump to trim government costs. Musk required employees to document their achievements or potentially face job loss, creating an environment rife with fear and confusion.
This unconventional directive sparked significant backlash from various federal agencies including the FBI, State Department, Homeland Security, and the Pentagon, whose leaders, loyal to the Trump administration, instructed employees not to follow the mandate. Bipartisan lawmakers have voiced concerns regarding the legality of Musk’s request, with unions even hinting at possible legal action.
Over the weekend, Trump further fueled Musk’s aggressive stance through a post on social media, urging Musk to intensify his efforts as head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE. He even shared a meme mocking those federal employees who have expressed dissatisfaction with the administration.
On Saturday, Musk’s team issued an email to hundreds of thousands of federal workers, demanding to hear about five specific accomplishments from the past week within a tight 48-hour timeframe. Musk emphasized that failure to meet the deadline, set for 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, would result in job termination.
As the deadline loomed, the response from various agencies was mixed, leading to mass confusion among employees. Some agencies openly defied Musk’s directive, while others encouraged compliance, creating a situation where guidance was anything but clear.
For example, on Sunday morning, the Department of Health and Human Services, under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., instructed its approximately 80,000 employees to adhere to Musk’s demands. This directive came shortly after the acting general counsel, Sean Keveney, had earlier advised some employees against participation. By Sunday evening, the agency’s leadership shifted its tone again, urging workers to halt any compliance-related activities until noon on Monday.
In an internal email obtained by sources, Keveney expressed his frustration over receiving Musk’s ultimatum after working diligently to advance the administration’s objectives, highlighting the prevalent sense of “uncertainty and stress” within the agency. He raised security concerns regarding the potential disclosure of privileged information, stating, “I have received no assurances that there are appropriate protections in place to safeguard responses to this email.”
Members from both parties, including Republican Senator John Curtis from Utah, condemned Musk’s approach. During an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Curtis urged Musk to inject compassion into his requests, reminding him that federal employees are real people with families and financial responsibilities. “It’s a false narrative to say we have to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well,” he asserted.
The FBI’s new director, Kash Patel, who is known for his close ties to Trump, also advised employees to disregard Musk’s deadline for now. In a message confirmed by sources, Patel reinforced that the FBI would manage its review processes in compliance with established protocols, encouraging staff to pause all responses.
On a similarly confusing note, Ed Martin, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, sent mixed signals to his team. He stated employees could either respond or choose not to, asserting he would support them amidst any confusion surrounding compliance.
In contrast, officials from the Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security provided more consistent advice to employees. Tibor Nagy, acting undersecretary of state, assured staff that leadership would handle the reporting process on their behalf, stating, “No employee is obligated to report their activities outside of their Department chain of command.” Similarly, the Pentagon’s leadership recommended employees pause any replies to Musk’s request.
As Musk’s deadline approaches, it has been noted that thousands of government employees have already lost their jobs due to terminations or “deferred resignation” offers since the beginning of Trump’s second term. While there is no official count of total layoffs, estimates suggest hundreds of thousands are feeling the impact, many of whom do not work in Washington.
Musk described his latest demand as “a very basic pulse check,” claiming that a considerable number of government employees are underperforming, failing even to check their emails. He made unsubstantiated allegations, suggesting that some employees may not even exist or are deceased individuals receiving government paychecks, referring to them as “outright fraud.” However, no concrete evidence has been provided to support this claim. Moreover, Musk and Trump have recently made unfounded accusations that numerous deceased individuals over the age of 100 are drawing Social Security payments.
As all of this unfolds, thousands of other federal employees face imminent job losses, particularly among probationary civilian workers at the Pentagon and a significant portion of the staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which anticipates reductions or departures.
