Confusion reigns among federal agencies regarding compliance with a directive issued by Elon Musk, requiring employees to submit a list of five accomplishments from the past week. As the deadline approaches, internal emails reveal significant disagreement over the necessity of response, with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) later clarifying that participation is ultimately voluntary.
In a weekend communication, officials from the Departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, and Energy advised their staff not to respond to the agency-wide email titled “What did you do last week?” Meanwhile, within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), contrasting guidance emerged from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FEMA, indicating employees should reply.
Staff at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initially received instructions to respond, but were later advised to “pause” their replies pending new guidance. By late Monday, HHS communicated to employees that responding to OPM was not required and that opting out would not jeopardize their employment.
For those choosing to respond, HHS cautioned against mentioning colleagues or specifics of their work, urging caution as they assume their responses might be scrutinized by external entities. Other agencies, including the Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and Commerce, provided their own mixed directives to employees, all emphasizing the importance of protecting classified information.
The chaotic situation has escalated as discontent among federal workers grows amidst the ambiguous guidance, leading to concerns about job security and clarity of direction. With varying messages from agency leaders, many employees are left uncertain about their obligations.
Trump, in a recent statement, made dubious allegations regarding the email responses, suggesting that many federal employees may not even exist, without providing substantial evidence for his claims. He asserted that some agencies did not intend to be adversarial toward Musk, implying that their reluctance to comply stemmed from an intent to shield certain employees from scrutiny.
Management Overhaul Sparks Division
The erratic guidance reflects growing resistance from top federal agencies towards Musk’s ambitious restructuring within the federal government, specifically through his Department of Government Efficiency initiative. Some officials indicated a desire to manage their own departmental responses independent of Musk’s directive.
Additionally, confusion has been compounded by the news that some contractors, who are not federal employees and thus outside of federal workforce data reports, have also received the same email requesting their performance updates.
A coalition, including labor unions, is pushing for a federal court in San Francisco to impose a temporary injunction against the Trump administration’s efforts to manage probationary employees and solicitation practices relating to OPM’s email. This lawsuit, initiated on February 19, highlights concerns regarding the agency’s authority to oversee federal employees outside its jurisdiction.
