Elon Musk’s Ultimatum to Federal Employees Sparks Chaos and Confusion

WASHINGTON (AP) — A recent email from Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency demanding that federal employees account for their weekly accomplishments has resulted in widespread confusion and potential legal challenges within the federal workforce. The email, originally sent on Feb. 22, called for responses by 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 24, with the implication that noncompliance would equate to resignation.

The move has ignited anger and concern amongst workers, as many received contradictory guidance from their agency leaders, who advised them not to respond at all. The situation highlights a growing rift between some Trump-appointed officials and Musk, who now seems to be exceeding his advisory role.

“What he’s doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’” President Donald Trump stated during a press conference, backing Musk’s controversial request while admitting that many agency heads were instructing employees to defer responses for now.

Compounding the chaos is previous guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which classified responses to such emails as “voluntary.” Federal workers have vocally opposed the new directives, arguing that the tone of the correspondence left them feeling undervalued and intimidated.

“The [‘What did you do last week?’] email fails to identify any legal authority permitting OPM to demand the requested information,” remarked Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. “This directive does not comport with OPM’s own regulations and guidance.”

Musk’s email advised employees to summarize their weekly accomplishments in five bullet points and loop in their managers. However, the OPM guidance dated Feb. 5 asserted that mass email responses would be strictly voluntary. The discord among leadership has prompted many departments to explicitly tell their employees not to comply with Musk’s request, saying they will conduct their review processes independently.

Agencies such as the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice sent emails directing employees to pause any response to the OPM email, citing security or privacy concerns. According to an internal email from FBI Director Kash Patel, the agency would not coordinate responses immediately and would instead adhere to established review processes.

While Musk has claimed that non-responses would be interpreted as a resignation, various agency heads have emphasized that compliance is not mandatory. Some departments, like the Treasury and the Department of Transportation, have instructed employees to respond due to the volume of work they handle, creating an inconsistent approach across the federal landscape.

The uproar led to emergency lawsuits filed by labor unions across several federal agencies, which argue that Musk is overstepping his bounds by threatening firings based on responses to an email. Attorneys from the State Democracy Defenders Fund, among others, argued that such actions represent “one of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.”

“These are real people. These are real lives,” said Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, voicing concerns about the lack of compassion in the treatment of federal employees. “It’s a false narrative to say we have to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well.”

Despite criticism coming from various corners, Trump maintained that the email was a “pretty ingenious” way to assess performance within the federal workforce. “If you don’t respond, we assume you’re not around, and you’re not getting paid anymore, too,” he added.

The situation continues to unfold, with ongoing legal challenges and a possibility of further disruption in the federal workforce. Employees remain in limbo, caught between conflicting directives and the lingering threat of repercussions from Musk and his team.