Ahead of a Monday deadline, the Trump administration has distanced itself from Elon Musk’s directive requiring federal employees to submit lists of their weekly accomplishments or face dismissal. Musk’s email prompted confusion among agency heads, with some, including the FBI, advising against compliance due to concerns over sensitive information. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) clarified that employees wouldn’t be penalized for not responding. Agency leaders expressed unease about Musk’s influence in government, as many oppose his efforts to cut the federal workforce. Trump downplayed the concerns, suggesting exceptions were made for protecting sensitive data.
Washington DC:
As the Monday deadline approaches, the Trump administration is reportedly reconsidering Elon Musk’s weekend directive requiring all government employees to document five accomplishments from the past week, or risk termination. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump’s billionaire associate Musk announced on his social media platform, X, that federal employees would receive an email requesting them to justify their work from the previous week, with those who failed to respond by Monday at 11:59 pm Eastern time considered to have resigned.
However, prior to Musk’s deadline, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which acts as the government’s HR agency, informed the chief human capital officers of federal agencies that employees would not be discharged for failing to reply to Musk’s email, according to sources cited by The Washington Post.
According to the report, OPM has proposed that employees in government departments engage in weekly reporting. Nonetheless, the agency is unclear about how to handle the responses received from employees who replied to Musk’s email so far and currently has “no plans” to analyze them.
‘Justify Your Work’ Email
Following Elon Musk’s announcement on social media regarding the directive, an email was dispatched to millions, impacting federal judges and legislative branch staff, creating confusion as agency leaders worked to interpret the guidance for their specific roles.
Even before this new directive, some agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under Kash Patel, instructed staff not to participate. Agencies expressed concerns that employees might, at OPM’s suggestion, reveal sensitive or critical national security information.
The administration’s unexpected reversal indicates a level of discomfort, even among senior Trump officials, regarding the scale and objectives of Musk’s initiative to streamline the federal government, which has already caused disruption in various functions. While agency heads were granted some discretion, not all departments have rejected Musk’s mandate, leaving room for potential terminations if employees do not comply.
Divided House?
Reportedly, there is concern among agency leaders about Musk’s involvement in government operations. The billionaire, whom President Trump has enlisted to head the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been exerting considerable influence to reduce the 2.3 million-strong federal workforce.
“There’s a full revolt going on right now,” Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, a center-right think tank, told The Washington Post.
“The stated aim of DOGE was to reorganize the agencies to fulfill their objectives, but Cabinet heads prefer to manage their own departments and are pushing back against the sweeping cuts proposed by Musk’s team,” he continued.
In a statement from the Oval Office on Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump, however, minimized any perceived discord between his administration and Musk’s directive, suggesting that exceptions were primarily from agency heads aiming to safeguard sensitive information, specifically referencing the FBI and State Department.
“They don’t mean that in any way combatively with Elon. They’re just indicating that there are certain individuals whose work from last week you might not want to be made public. Aside from that, most people thought it was a rather clever idea,” Trump remarked.