Multiple U.S. agencies have instructed employees not to immediately comply with a demand from President Trump’s adviser, Elon Musk, to list their weekly accomplishments or risk termination. Officials at the FBI and State Department advised staff to respond only through official channels, highlighting potential tensions between the Trump administration and Musk’s push to reduce the federal workforce of 2.3 million.
“The FBI, under the leadership of its director, oversees all of our review processes,” stated FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee, in an email to staff that was viewed by Reuters. Musk heads the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, which has already laid off over 20,000 employees and extended buyout offers to another 75,000 in the initial weeks of Trump’s administration.
This initiative affects various sectors of the government, from the Defense Department – historically a key focus for Republicans – down to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where all employees have been instructed to cease work.
The quick pace of government changes has resulted in the federal government hastily rehiring workers for critical roles, such as securing nuclear facilities and addressing the bird flu outbreak impacting egg prices. Despite bipartisan support for reform, Musk’s controversial methods have faced backlash, including from some Republican voters.
Federal employees received an email on Saturday asking them to report their work from the previous week by Monday night, shortly after Musk suggested that failure to respond would be considered a resignation. The email, titled “What did you do last week?” lacked mention of Musk’s threat. Many agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Justice, instructed employees not to reply until further notice.
The American Federation of Government Employees expressed doubt about Musk’s authority to fire non-responsive employees and requested the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to revoke the email. Meanwhile, some officials supported Musk’s approach while others criticized it for lacking compassion. Senator John Curtis urged Musk to take a more humane stance.
The judiciary received the same email despite not being part of the executive branch, and many workers, unsure of how to respond, expressed frustration over the uncertainty regarding their jobs.