Federal workers spent Monday grappling with Elon Musk’s weekend email blast, which instructed them to explain their work from the previous week or face job loss. The mixed messages left many employees in the dark, with some receiving contradictory guidance and others facing mandatory compliance.
President Donald Trump initially praised Musk’s email as “ingenious,” but later contradicted himself, stating that non-response would result in termination. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) eventually released a new set of guidelines, which made the response voluntary but left room for agencies to determine actions against employees who don’t comply.
The confusion was palpable across various government agencies, with some workers taking a sarcastic approach to the directive. At the IRS, a group of colleagues created fake responses, while others at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressed frustration over being asked to comply without divulging sensitive information.
A State Department official described employees as “confused and deeply disturbed” by the derogatory narrative coming from their government. Meanwhile, Trump suggested that non-responding employees might not be working at all, sparking concerns about potential repercussions for those who don’t meet the deadline.
As of Monday evening, Musk reaffirmed his stance, stating that failure to respond a second time would result in termination. The situation remains fluid, with the OPM and various agencies continuing to navigate the fallout from Musk’s email.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/24/politics/email-elon-musk-federal-employees/index.html