Federal Workers Push Back Against Elon Musk's Demands

Federal workers are standing up to billionaire Elon Musk's demands. Musk, who is a key adviser to President Donald Trump, sent out a bold message over the weekend. He told federal employees to list their accomplishments from the past week or face potential termination. This demand was met with swift resistance from many federal agencies. The Office of Personnel Management, which acts as the HR department for the federal government, sent out an email. It asked employees to list five things they accomplished last week. The email did not mention any consequences for not complying. The directive from Musk was met with confusion and uncertainty. Some top officials told employees not to comply. Musk, however, continued to push his demands. He even threatened to put employees on administrative leave if they did not return to the office. This move was seen as a way to force employees back to work in person. The turmoil began when Trump praised Musk's efforts to overhaul the federal government. Musk then announced that all federal employees would receive an email asking them to list their accomplishments. He claimed that failure to respond would be seen as a resignation. This directive echoed Musk's management style at his own companies. Several key U. S. agencies, including the FBI, the State Department, Homeland Security, and the Pentagon, instructed their employees not to respond. Lawmakers from both major political parties criticized Musk's mandate. They said it may be illegal. Unions also threatened to sue. The situation was chaotic. The Department of Health and Human Services initially told its 80, 000 employees to comply. But later, the agency leadership issued new instructions. They told employees to pause activities related to the request. The Education Department, however, directed its workers to comply. Democrats and some Republicans criticized Musk's ultimatum. They said it lacked compassion. Sen. John Curtis of Utah, whose state has 33, 000 federal employees, said, "These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. " He urged Musk to show more compassion. New FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump ally, told employees to ignore Musk's request. He said the FBI would handle reviews according to its own procedures. Other agencies, like the Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security, also instructed employees to pause any response. Musk defended his request. He called it "a very basic pulse check. " He claimed that many government employees were doing little work. He even suggested that some paychecks were being collected by non-existent or dead people. However, he provided no evidence for these claims. Thousands of government employees have been forced out of the federal workforce. Many work outside of Washington. Musk and Trump have also made false claims about Social Security payments. They said tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving payments.