Elon Musk fumed on Monday evening—and issued a new ultimatum—after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said government workers do not have to comply with an email demanding that they justify their jobs.
The Context
Musk announced on X, formerly Twitter, over the weekend that federal workers would receive “an email requesting to understand what they got done last week.” He added that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
The announcement—as well as the subsequent email, which did not include the threat of termination—sent federal agencies into a tailspin and culminated in the OPM telling agency heads on Monday that compliance with Musk’s demand was voluntary.
OPM’s update came hours after President Donald Trump publicly backed Musk, calling his decree a “pretty ingenious idea,” adding that those who don’t respond by Monday’s midnight deadline are “semi-fired or fired.”
What To Know
Musk raged on Monday evening, writing that “subject to the discretion of the President,” workers would be “given another chance” to send over details about what they did last week.
“Failure to respond a second time will result in termination,” he wrote.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for clarification about Musk’s post, including if federal workers still face a midnight deadline to respond to Musk’s email, or if a new deadline has been set.
The new threat came after Musk wrote on X that his “email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!”
“Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers,” he added. “Have you ever witnessed such INCOMPETENCE and CONTEMPT for how YOUR TAXES are being spent? Makes old Twitter look good. Didn’t think that was possible.”
Confusion and alarm rippled across the federal bureaucracy after the initial email went out on Saturday, demanding workers submit a response by 11:59 p.m. ET Monday.
Concerns ran particularly deep at agencies performing sensitive and often classified work, including the U.S. intelligence community, the Department of Defense, the State Department, the FBI and others.
The heads of government agencies also gave conflicting guidance on whether to follow Musk’s order. The Pentagon, Justice Department, FBI, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration all instructed employees to disregard the email or said ignoring it would not result in termination.
HHS told employees late Monday 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,” according to multiple reports citing the email.
It also went a step further, warning employees that if they did choose to respond, “assume that what you write will be read by malign foreign actors and tailor your response accordingly.”
Other agencies suggested the rank and file take creative approaches to answering the email, like the U.S. Secret Service, which reportedly said over the weekend that officers could reply to the email in part by saying: “This week I accomplished: 100% of the tasks and duties required of me by my position description.”
What People Are Saying
Musk responded to the reports about the HHS email on X, writing: “‘Malign foreign actors’ have been holding a block party in HHS for years!”
Trump weighed in on the initial email while speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday: “You know why he wanted that, by the way? I thought it was great because we have people that don’t show up to work and nobody even knows if they work for the government. So by asking the question, ‘Tell us what you did this week,’ what he’s doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’”
What Happens Next
The deadline for workers to respond to Musk’s initial email expires at midnight Monday. It’s unclear if agencies or the White House will enforce or act on the Tesla CEO’s follow-up saying workers would get “another chance” to respond and be fired if they don’t reply.
Update 02/24/25, 8:43 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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