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Cabinet-level officials have reportedly instructed their departments to disregard a request for an activity report
An instruction by Elon Musk, US President Donald Trump’s government efficiency czar, for federal workers to summarize their weekly activities or risk termination has reportedly prompted resistance among senior officials.
On Saturday, Musk announced on X that all government employees must outline what work they had done over the week, warning that failure to comply might be interpreted as resignation. Emails sent to the 2.3 million federal workers reportedly requested that five bullet points detailing their activities be submitted by the end of Monday.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) devised the request after Trump urged him to “get more aggressive” in targeting perceived waste. The emails were distributed via the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s HR arm.
However, some department officials responded by instructing employees to ignore the emails, with directives coming directly from Trump appointees, the New York Times reported on Sunday. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard ordered her staff not to respond, citing the “inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work.” FBI Director Kash Patel informed employees that the agency “is in charge of all our review processes,” directing them to “pause any responses.”
The Pentagon took a similar stance, the newspaper reported, citing an email from Darin S. Selnick, the acting head of personnel. Employees at the Department of Health and Human Services received conflicting guidance regarding Musk’s request.
Musk was appointed as a special official in the Trump administration tasked with cutting waste and fraud from government spending. Critics argue he aims to dismantle significant parts of the federal government, paving the way for a corporate takeover of corresponding functions.
Trump has expressed support for Musk’s efforts amid the backlash surrounding the weekly report requirement.
Musk downplayed the controversy, calling the email a “very basic pulse check” and sharing a meme that compared his job security threats to vaccination mandates during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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