Federal workers in the United States have voiced significant frustrations following conflicting guidance regarding an email directive from Elon Musk to document their work from the previous week or risk termination.
As reported by NEWS BULLETIN , the confusion stems from Musk’s email, which was prompted by President Donald Trump’s call for quicker reforms across federal agencies. Musk’s message indicated that failure to respond would be treated as a resignation.
However, just 48 hours later, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) issued a clarification stating that responding to the email was voluntary and left it up to individual agencies to determine their actions.
The email has sparked controversy, prompting federal worker unions and activist groups to file a lawsuit in California to challenge the mandate. Major agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Justice, and the FBI—now headed by Trump appointees—advised their employees to disregard Musk’s directive. This led to widespread confusion, with some employees receiving contradictory messages over the weekend.
An HHS employee, speaking anonymously to the BBC, expressed their frustration, stating, “They’re succeeding in driving us insane.”
In a subsequent statement on his X account, Musk insisted he was acting under Trump’s instructions. “Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance,” he wrote, seemingly addressing workers who failed to respond by the end of Monday. “Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Leavitt, amidst the mounting pushback, asserted, “Everyone is working together as one unified team at the direction of President Trump. Any notion to the contrary is completely false.”
