Elon Musk has stirred chaos within the federal workforce by issuing an ultimatum that requires all federal employees to document their work in five bullet points or face termination. The directive, sent via a mass email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Saturday, has sparked a flurry of reactions across various government departments. Employees were given a mere 48-hour deadline to comply, leaving many scrambling to meet the demands. In the wake of this development, the White House reports that over 75,000 federal employees have accepted a buyout.
The US government employs over 2 million workers, and the effects of Musk's directive have been widespread and varied. While some departments, such as the Social Security Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, have instructed their employees to comply with the email, others have taken a different stance. The Department of Defense (DoD), now under the leadership of Pete Hegseth, has put a pause on responses to the OPM email.
"The silliest thing I've seen in 40 years and completely usurps the chain of command," an anonymous Pentagon official told CNN. The official further stated that such demands "might be done elsewhere, but in the DoD it's not done."
Elon Musk, in response to criticisms, reiterated that "failure to respond will be taken as a resignation." He further commented on the Pentagon official's statement by asserting that "anyone with the attitude of that Pentagon official needs to look for a new job."
The FBI has also joined the DoD in instructing its agents to "please pause any responses" to the OPM email. This directive highlights the internal discord and confusion within federal agencies as they grapple with how to address Musk's demands.
In contrast to the DoD and FBI's approach, other departments have told their employees to await further orders or simply ignore Musk’s edict. This inconsistency in responses has only added to the chaos, as employees receive mixed signals from their respective agencies.
The Trump administration has already dismissed at least 20,000 federal workers, mostly recent hires on probationary periods. This latest development adds another layer of complexity to an already tumultuous period for federal employees.