Deadline for Musk’s ultimatum to federal workers hits, but consequences remain vague
Federal workers were faced with a deadline to respond to Elon Musk’s request to verify their weekly work output, but the consequences of not responding remained unclear. Musk stated that failure to respond would result in termination, although the original email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) did not mention such consequences. The OPM simply requested that employees reply with approximately 5 bullets of what they accomplished the previous week and cc their manager.
Despite Musk’s warning, government agencies, including those led by President Trump’s loyalists, advised their employees not to respond to the request. The FBI and Department of Defense, under the leadership of Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth, instructed their employees to pause any responses due to the confidential nature of their work. Trump endorsed Musk’s accountability push on federal workers, stating that the conflicting orders did not signify a divide in his administration.
Musk expressed frustration at the lack of response, calling the email request trivial and criticizing the incompetence and contempt for how taxpayer money is being spent. His Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is conducting audits to uncover wasteful spending and corruption within federal agencies. This initiative aligns with Trump’s efforts to bring federal employees back to the office and eliminate bad actors and overspending in the government.
The situation highlighted the tension between Musk’s request for accountability and the concerns raised by government agencies regarding the confidentiality of their work. The outcome of federal workers’ responses to Musk’s request remains uncertain, with potential consequences of termination looming. As the saga continues, it underscores the challenges of implementing accountability measures in the federal government and the complexities of balancing transparency with security concerns.
