Refusing Musks Proposals The New York Times

Refusing Musk’s Proposals – The New York Times

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Elon Musk’s recent directive to federal employees to summarize their weekly accomplishments or resign sparked defiance among high-level Trump appointees. Senior officials from agencies like the State Department and FBI advised employees to ignore Musk’s demand, emphasizing agency autonomy. Despite Trump supporting Musk’s message, the Office of Personnel Management declared responses to Musk’s email voluntary. This internal resistance indicates an effort to clarify Musk’s ambiguous role within the administration. Meanwhile, Musk faced backlash for his controversial directive and lost access to federal student loan data, amidst the complexities and tensions surrounding his position and influence in the government.

They have enacted layoffs among their own staff. They have altered the focus of their departments. They have targeted D.E.I. initiatives.

However, after weeks of synchronizing with the White House, certain cabinet officials and high-ranking Trump appointees have resisted a directive from Elon Musk.

The situation — which started on Saturday with a request from Musk, shared on X, for federal employees to either summarize their weekly achievements via email or resign — escalated into a rare act of defiance from top administration officials, effectively seeking to limit Musk’s influence in real time.

Leading figures at the State Department, F.B.I., Energy Department, and additional agencies advised their teams to delay responses to Musk’s demand. Notably, some of these agencies are overseen by staunch Trump allies like Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, and Pam Bondi.

These officials did not confront Musk directly. An internal memo sent to some Justice Department employees advised them to disregard the request “due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the department’s work,” as per an email acquired by my colleague Cecilia Kang.

Moreover, the disagreement over an email is significantly less severe than the pushback from some lower-level staff that my colleagues Nicholas Nehamas, Ryan Mac, and Nikole Hannah-Jones reported over the weekend.

Yet, inherent in the agency leaders’ refusal to comply was a distinct message: My agency answers to me, not Elon Musk.

Trump, who sometimes encourages his aides to engage in public disputes, has taken little action to resolve the issue. He commended Musk’s message today, stating that employees who do not respond would be “sort of semi-fired, or you’re fired.” However, around the same time, my colleague Michael Shear noted that the Office of Personnel Management informed agencies that responding to the email is now optional.

Is that understood?

As previously observed, Musk has been capitalizing on the ambiguous and unclear nature of his position. He was not confirmed by the Senate and has no official job description. It remains uncertain whether he will attend Trump’s first cabinet meeting, scheduled for Wednesday.

Nonetheless, the internal pushback against his request indicates that some cabinet members are at least willing to delineate his role by outlining what he cannot do.

  • Elon Musk personally reached out to the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party to congratulate her on the party’s success in last weekend’s election — but she missed the call.

  • Many voters attending town halls held by Republicans to express dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s early actions are specifically mentioning Musk.

  • In the meantime, he suffered a setback in his pursuit of government data access. A federal judge ruled against his team regarding student loan databases.

  • And it’s not solely a court imposing obstacles. After Musk instructed federal employees to send an email detailing their work or resign, several members of President Trump’s cabinet urged their employees to disregard it. We’ve got further insights on the confusion and division below.

MEANWHILE on X

Musk’s feed on X indicates he is experiencing backlash. My colleague Kate Conger elaborates.

On Monday, Musk shared content referencing a poll demonstrating that Americans broadly favor a “full-scale effort” to eliminate waste and fraud in government.

Musk claimed this indicated support for his initiatives: “Polls show that @DOGE is overwhelmingly POPULAR and that government spending should be curtailed by at least $1 trillion!!” he commented.

Polls specifically focused on Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, however, reveal a much more divided opinion.

Musk also attempted to downplay his controversial message to federal employees as exaggerated. “Absurd that a 5 min email generates this level of concern!,” he tweeted, alongside a video featuring Ron Paul, the former Texas congressman, discussing a reduction in federal government size.

Musk also appeared eager to highlight support from the most crucial voter: Trump. He shared segments from today’s press conference, in which the president praised Musk’s contributions.

“Great President,” Musk commented in response.

— Kate Conger

AGENCY STATUS REPORT

Last Friday, we informed you about layoffs at the Food and Drug Administration that hindered the agency’s recent efforts to adapt to emerging medical technologies. My colleague Christina Jewett reports that many of those specialized employees — involved in food safety, medical device reviews, and other critical areas — have already been reinstated.

The reasons behind the F.D.A.’s reversal remain uncertain. Christina mentions that the layoffs may not have significantly reduced government expenditure. Many employees’ salaries are funded through fees paid by companies to the F.D.A., not through taxpayer income.

  • Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts cautioned the commerce secretary that Musk’s team might gain access to trade secrets and other sensitive data from his competitors held by the department.

  • A fake video featuring Musk and Trump was broadcast on screens at the federal housing agency this morning as employees there returned to the office full-time.

the partnership that wasn’t

When the concept for the Department of Government Efficiency originated, it was envisioned as a buddy film featuring two entrepreneurs: Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the businessman and previous underdog presidential candidate.

Ramaswamy upset Trump after publicly clashing with some of his supporters over immigration and chose to exit the federal government to pursue a campaign for governor in Ohio, which he officially announced tonight.

Currently, it’s hard to envision Musk sharing the limelight. And the ongoing narrative in Washington resembles a buddy film starring Musk and Trump.

Ramaswamy’s connections to Trump have provided him with an advantage in the race, as reported by my colleague Charles Homans. However, his campaign could hinge on whether Trump — and possibly Musk — will endorse him.

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