Elon Musk's deadline for federal workers to justify their jobs is fast approaching, but many are confused whether they have to actually comply with the billionaire's request.
Several federal agency leaders, including Pentagon head Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and FBI director Kash Patel, have already instructed their employees to disregard Musk's message.
Bloomberg Law also reported that supervisors at the Department of Justice (DOJ) told employees to leave the email unanswered while they wait to receive further clarity on the situation.
On Saturday, Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), wrote in a post published on X, formerly Twitter, "Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump's instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week," Musk wrote. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."
It is unclear whether the Trump administration and Musk's DOGE can actually fire everyone who fails to respond to the email, and the decision is likely to be challenged in court. Head of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Everett Kelley, has already warned that the union would challenge "any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country."
Hegseth and Patel's messages to staff telling them to ignore Musk's deadline suggests not everyone in Trump's cabinet is fully on board with DOGE's cost cutting efforts.
Stay with Newsweek's live blog for all the latest updates.
08:58 AM EST
Kash Patel tells FBI staff to ignore Elon Musk's demand: Report
The new Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Kash Patel has reportedly told the agency's staff to ignore Elon Musk's request to justify their work or lose their jobs.
"For now, please pause any responses," reads a message sent by Patel on Saturday to all FBI personnel, calling for employees to wait for a coordinated response from the bureau.
Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been tapped by President Donald Trump to shrink the size of the federal government, which he has called "bloated" and full of "people that are unnecessary."
The same day Musk posted his deadline, Patel reportedly sent a message to all FBI employees asking them not to respond to the OPM email until a coordinated response had been orchestrated.
"All, FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures," reads the message, as reported by NBC.
"When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses."
Read in full on Newsweek.
08:49 AM EST
Pentagon tells staff to disregard Elon Musk's demand
The Department of Defense posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, telling Pentagon staff to disregard an email from billionaire Elon Musk that asked government employees to document in an email what they'd done in the last week.
The Pentagon is now led by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who was appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate in late January. Sunday's message suggests the Trump appointee is not fully on board with Musk's efforts.
The message from Darin Selnick, who is performing the duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, was posted to X on Sunday afternoon and was sent to staff earlier in the day.
"DoD personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures," the message said.
"When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM. For now, please pause any response to the OPM [Office of Personnel Management] email titled 'What did you do last week.'"
08:37 AM EST
Elon Musk faces legal threat over federal worker ultimatum: 'utter disdain'
The president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Everett Kelley, has condemned Elon Musk's recent request for federal employees to account for the work they did in the past week or face dismissal as "cruel and disrespectful."
Kelley said the union would continue to legally challenge "any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country" by the Tesla CEO and Donald Trump's administration.
Since Trump's inauguration, his administration has implemented aggressive efforts to shrink the size of the federal government, which the president has called "bloated" and filled with "people that are unnecessary."
Mass layoffs of federal employees ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Musk have sparked outrage, especially as the "special government employee" is seen by many as an unelected billionaire slashing the federal workforce without the possibility of being held accountable for his actions.
Read in full from Giulia Carbonaro on Newsweek.
English (US) ·