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Several federal agencies and unions are telling worker to buck Elon Musk’s email directive telling them to account for the work they have done over the past week — even though Musk said not answering “will be taken as a resignation,” Axios reported.
On Saturday, the tech billionaire and head of the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), posted to X stating that all federal employees will receive an email asking them to explain their accomplishments for the week.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) subsequently sent the email, telling workers they have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Monday to reply. The email did not include Musk’s resignation comment, according to the report.
“To be clear, the bar is very low here. An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable!” Musk said in a follow-up post to X, the platform he owns. “Should take less than 5 mins to write.”
So far, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which are two of the largest unions representing federal workers, told their members not to answer.
“AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country,” union president Everett Kelley said in a statement Saturday night.
Several agencies have also told their employees to stand down.
New FBI director Kash Patel told employees not to answer the email, NBC News reported.
“FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The FBI, thought the Office of the Director, is in charge of all our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses,” Patel reportedly told employees.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) also instructed employees not to reply, the Government Executive reported.
The New York Times reported that the State Department is has told employees to do the same.
“It remains unclear what will actually happen if employees don’t respond,” Axios reported. “Legal action is possible, if not likely, on Monday to try and block any response. There’s also the unanswered question of what OPM will do with all these emails, which could end up numbering in the millions.”
