Trump administration tells workers they can ignore Musk ultimatum
Confusion reigns as US federal workers face deadline imposed by Elon Musk that required them to explain their work achievements
The US agency that oversees federal workers said on Monday they could ignore a weekend email from tech billionaire Elon Musk that required them to justify their jobs after Musk’s demand sparked unusual pushback from some agencies.
Musk’s email had directed each of the nation’s 2.3 million civil-service workers to provide a five-point summary of their work by 11.59pm EST, raising questions about how much authority the world’s richest person can wield in President Donald Trump’s effort to downsize the US government.
Musk had warned that workers who did not respond in detail could lose their jobs. But as the deadline approached, Musk seemed to acknowledge that his plan had run aground.
“The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!” Musk posted on X, the social media site he owns. “Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers.”
According to an internal Justice Department email seen by Reuters, the US Office of Personnel Management told human resources officials at federal agencies on Monday that employees would not be let go for not replying to Musk’s email – nor were staff required to respond to it.