Multiple US agencies have instructed employees not to respond immediately to a directive from Elon Musk, who is leading a Trump administration effort to downsize the federal workforce, amid growing concerns over the chaotic nature of the campaign.
The directive, sent via email on Saturday evening, required federal workers to detail their weekly accomplishments by Monday midnight, with Musk suggesting on his social media platform X that failure to comply would be considered a resignation.
Officials at agencies including the FBI, State Department, Defense Department, and Homeland Security have advised employees to seek guidance before responding, internal emails reviewed by Reuters revealed. Intelligence agencies are also expected to issue similar instructions.
“The FBI, through the office of the director, is in charge of all our review processes,” FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee, stated in an internal communication.
Musk, who heads the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has spearheaded sweeping layoffs in the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s administration, with over 20,000 federal workers dismissed and buyout offers extended to 75,000 more. The cuts have spanned multiple departments, including defense, finance, and public health, leading to operational disruptions in areas such as nuclear security and bird flu containment.
The email, titled “What did you do last week?”, was sent from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). However, it did not explicitly mention Musk’s termination threat.
The move has sparked criticism from within the administration and among lawmakers. Senator John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, acknowledged the need for government reform but urged Musk to adopt a more “humane approach.”
“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it’s, ‘Please put a dose of compassion in this.’ These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages,” Curtis said in an interview with CBS News.
Meanwhile, the largest federal employees’ union, the American Federation of Government Employees, has raised questions about Musk’s authority to enforce such a measure, advising members to seek instructions from their supervisors before responding.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also weighed in, calling the email a “complete overstep” that is bound to be challenged in court.
“From a management perspective, you can see what a clown car this is right now,” Christie remarked on ABC News.
Despite the pushback, Musk defended his directive, calling it a “very basic pulse check” and criticizing agencies resisting the move.
“EXTREMELY troubling that some parts of government think this is TOO MUCH!! What is wrong with them??” he posted on X.
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