Several U.S. federal agencies, including those led by prominent allies of former President Donald Trump, have pushed back against Elon Musk’s attempt to require employees to justify their work achievements or face potential job loss.
This resistance hints at a growing divide between key Trump administration figures and Musk, who has been leading efforts to reduce the size of the U.S. government’s vast civilian workforce, causing confusion across various federal agencies.
On Saturday, federal workers received an email from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which was seen by AFP, instructing them to submit a list of «approximately 5 bullet points of what you accomplished last week» by 11:59 pm Monday.
Shortly before, Musk posted on X stating that “all federal workers” would get the email, warning that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Federal employees told AFP that they were advised not to respond immediately.
The Defense Department issued a message on Sunday advising its staff to “pause any response to the OPM email titled ‘What did you do last week.’” The department stressed that it is responsible for evaluating its personnel’s performance and will do so according to its own procedures.
Reports indicated that Trump administration-appointed officials at the FBI, State Department, and the Office of National Intelligence also instructed their staff not to respond directly to the email.
The new head of the FBI, Kash Patel, sent a message to employees on Saturday stating that «the FBI, through the office of the director, is in charge of all our review processes,” according to the New York Times.
Unions quickly reacted as well, with the largest federal employees union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), pledging to contest any unlawful terminations.
In a letter to OPM on Sunday, the AFGE criticized Musk’s authority, calling him “unelected and unhinged,” and labeled the email as an «irresponsible and juvenile attempt to create confusion and intimidate the dedicated federal employees who serve our country.»
Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual and a significant donor to Trump, has been appointed to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with cutting public spending and addressing alleged waste and corruption.
DOGE, a highly autonomous body under Musk’s leadership, has faced resistance and mixed legal outcomes as it continues its cost-cutting initiatives.
