The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) warned employees on Monday that emailed responses to Elon Musk‘s demand that federal workers justify their employment may be “read by malign foreign actors.”
Newsweek reached out for comment to HHS via email on Monday evening.
Why It Matters
Musk, head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on Saturday warned “all federal employees” that failing to respond to an impending email with details of their work activities would be “taken as a resignation” in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
Hours later, all federal workers received an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) demanding that they respond by listing “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week” by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Monday.
Several government agencies, including the Department of Defense, the FBI and the Social Security Administration, have since instructed workers that not responding to the email will not impact their job status.
What To Know
An email sent out to all HHS employees shortly before 5 p.m. Eastern Time Monday states that there is “no HHS expectation that HHS employees respond to OPM and there is no impact to your employment with the agency if you choose not to respond.”
The email goes on to list guidelines for employees who choose to respond to the OPM email, including an eyebrow-raising suggestion that responses should be written under the assumption that they will be intercepted and read by hostile foreigners.
“Keep your response at a high level of generality and describe your work in a manner to protect sensitive data, personally identifiable information, and applicable privileges to the extent possible,” the HHS email states.
“Assume that what you write will be read by malign foreign actors and tailor your response accordingly,” it continues.
What People Are Saying
Musk responded to the report in a reply on X, “‘Malign foreign actors’ have been holding a block party in HHS for years!”
Political consultant Fred Wellman on X, “So HHS is telling their employees they don’t have to respond to the ridiculous OPM 5-bullets email and warned them to assume a hostile foreign power can read them. Buy over at @DeptVetAffairs they are telling everyone to answer. Can you imagine being a neurosurgeon and justifying your job to ‘Big Balls’ the DOGE munchkin? What a clown show.”
What Happens Next
It is immediately unknown if any action will take place against the federal employees who do not respond to the email. The deadline expires 11:59 p.m. Monday.
Update 2/24/25 8:14 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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