SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently created a controversy by emailing federal employees requesting feedback on their activities every week. The emails, which requested workers to summarize their achievements of the last week, carried a stern threat—ignoring them would be considered resigning.
But following an increasing backlash from several quarters, including federal agencies and unions, Musk has said that the employees who did not respond will be given a second opportunity, but this will be “subject to the discretion of President Donald Trump.” The action has created widespread confusion and tension throughout the federal workforce.
On February 24, it was reported that the Trump administration had stepped in, and the response to Musk’s email became voluntary for federal employees. Some federal agencies, such as the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Justice, had already instructed their employees not to reply to the email, citing fear of the disruption it could bring. These agencies said that employees should follow the rules of their respective departments instead.
Trump, in a press conference, came to the defense of Musk’s move, describing it as a “great” thing and stating that there was “genius” in it. Trump went on to repeat unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the federal workforce, suggesting that some federal workers don’t even exist or are drawing paychecks under assumed names. But the reaction to this directive has been divided, with many agency chiefs instructing staff to disregard the email, particularly in sensitive agencies such as the FBI and Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The dispute has attracted the interest of labor unions. The American Federation of Government Employees condemned the request, referring to it as “plainly unlawful.” According to them, the email could be interpreted as intimidation, demoralizing the efforts of federal employees.
Nonetheless, other agencies, such as the Treasury Department and the IRS, have told their employees to comply, stating that they expect employees to reply with a summary of what they accomplished for the week. As the saga continues, numerous federal employees and union officials wait for an explanation of how the directive will affect them in the future.
