Musk gives federal workers 2nd chance to justify their jobs
What's the story
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire now leading the Decentralized Organization for Government Efficiency (DOGE), has given one more chance to United States federal employees to list their accomplishments.
Musk stated that "subject to the discretion of the President," government employees who did not respond will be given another chance, and failing to do so will result in termination.
In an email, he had ordered them to submit five bullet points summarizing their weekly accomplishments by Monday midnight or get fired.
Agency reactions
Federal agencies respond to Musk's ultimatum
The latest warning came shortly after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) told agencies that replying to Musk's email was voluntary.
Many agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, advised employees to ignore the demand.
The FBI and Pentagon also asked their staff not to prioritize Musk's request, stressing their internal review processes.
However, some agencies, like the General Services Administration, encouraged compliance with Musk's directive.
Presidential support
Trump praises Musk's ultimatum, Musk defends his email
President Donald Trump also did not appear willing to reject the ultimatum.
He told reporters during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron that Musk's ultimatum was a "genius" and not complying could get them "semi-fired" or "fired."
Musk had defended his email as a mere test of competence, slamming federal employees for not responding.
He called the task "utterly trivial" and asked how they were so inefficient in spending taxpayer money.
Union backlash
American Federation of Government Employees condemns Musk's move
The American Federation of Government Employees condemned Musk's move as disrespectful and vowed to challenge any unlawful terminations.
More than 100 House Democrats also sent a letter to 24 federal agency heads, urging them to "take immediate action to clarify that the federal employees at your agency are not obligated to respond to this ill-conceived email stunt."
DOGE, led by Musk, has already cut significant government spending and aims to reduce the federal deficit by $1 trillion.