Elon Musk Offers Federal Workers 'Another Chance' To Defend Jobs

Photo : AP

Elon Musk has given U.S. government workers one more chance to explain their work or they may lose their jobs. The first deadline passed on Tuesday, but many government offices told workers to ignore his request. Musk, who is the richest person in the world and a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, had asked workers to send an email by Monday night, listing what they had done at work in the past week.

This is part of Musk’s plan through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a group he controls, to reduce government jobs and spending. On Monday, Musk wrote on X, the social media site he owns, that workers would get another chance to send their replies. But he warned that if they did not respond again, they would lose their jobs. He did not say when the new deadline would be.

When the first deadline passed, many workers were confused. Several government offices, including some led by Trump’s close supporters, had already told employees not to answer Musk’s email. Musk criticized those who ignored his request, saying the task was "very easy" and that some workers were told by their managers not to respond.

Musk’s efforts to cut government jobs have faced legal problems and political pushback. Over the weekend, more than two million government workers got an email from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the government’s HR office. The email asked them to write "about five points" about what they had done at work in the past week.

Before the email was sent, Musk posted on X that all government workers would receive it and warned, "If you don’t respond, it will be taken as a resignation." This statement caused fear and confusion among workers. Trump supported Musk’s plan, calling it "a great idea" because it would show if government workers were really doing their jobs. He also said that people who did not reply might not even be real or might not be working at all. Trump added that these workers would be "kind of fired," though he did not explain what that meant.

On Monday, Musk said the email was just a way to check if workers were active and could answer a simple request. He added that many government workers were about to face "a harsh truth" and that those who ignored his request would soon understand the consequences.

Some government offices told workers to wait before responding. The Defense Department sent a message asking staff to "hold off on responding" to Musk’s request. Reports said that the FBI, State Department, and other agencies also told workers not to reply directly.

Some offices worried about online safety. Workers at the Department of Health and Human Services were told that their replies might be read by hackers from other countries. At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, workers were told their answers would stay private for now and that they did not have to respond.

On the other hand, the Treasury Department told its workers to answer Musk’s email. They said it was "a way to make government workers more responsible," similar to what is expected in private businesses.

As confusion grew, an unnamed government official told reporters that workers should follow their own office’s rules on how to handle the email.

Unions strongly opposed Musk’s demand. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union for government workers, promised to fight against any unfair firings.

Polls showed that most Americans do not support Musk’s actions. Even some Republican lawmakers, who usually support smaller government, said the situation was not handled well.

Senator John Curtis of Utah, whose state has 33,000 government workers, asked Musk to show kindness. Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," he said, "These are real people with real families. They have house payments and bills to pay."

Meanwhile, many lawsuits have been filed against Musk’s orders. Judges have given different decisions. On Monday, a federal judge stopped the Education Department and the Office of Personnel Management from sharing some private information with Musk’s department.

Even with these challenges, Musk seems determined to push ahead with his plan, leaving many government workers unsure about what will happen next.