Federal employees in the United States have voiced significant frustration following contradictory guidance regarding compliance with an email directive backed by Elon Musk. The controversial order—issued in response to a charge from President Donald Trump for accelerated reforms across federal agencies—required workers to submit a summary of their work from the previous week via email, with non-compliance suggested to equate to resignation.
However, just 48 hours after the email was sent, the Department of Government Efficiency clarified that responding was voluntary, leaving individual agencies to determine their approach. This inconsistency has ignited controversy, prompting federal worker unions and activist groups in California to file a lawsuit aimed at halting the mandate. Key agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Justice, and the FBI—now under Trump appointees—have directed employees to disregard the directive, resulting in widespread confusion and conflicting messages.
An HHS employee, speaking anonymously to the BBC, lamented, “They’re succeeding in driving us insane.” In a subsequent update on his X account, Musk maintained that he was acting under presidential instruction, stating that non-responders would be given one final chance, with termination as the consequence of a second failure to respond.
White House press secretary Karine Leavitt countered the emerging discord by affirming that “Everyone is working together as one unified team at the direction of President Trump,” dismissing any reports to the contrary.
