Major U.S. Agencies Instruct Employees to Avoid Responding to Musk’s Email Inquiring About Their Activities From the Previous Week.

Key U.S. departments under the Trump administration have instructed staff not to respond to a Saturday email from Elon Musk’s cost-cutting initiative requesting a summary of their weekly accomplishments.

The FBI, State Department, and Pentagon directed employees to ignore the request, while some agencies advised compliance or told staff to await further instructions. Musk stated that failure to reply by midnight on Monday would be treated as a resignation. President Donald Trump has yet to comment.

The conflicting guidance created uncertainty among federal employees as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) task force spearheaded efforts to reduce government spending. The email, sent to millions of federal workers, followed a post on Musk’s social media platform, X, indicating they would soon receive a request to outline their weekly tasks.

According to a copy obtained by the BBC, employees were asked to list their accomplishments in five bullet points, excluding classified information. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal HR agency, confirmed the email’s authenticity but did not clarify whether noncompliance would affect employment status.

New FBI Director Kash Patel later advised staff to pause responses, stating that the agency would review the request internally. The State Department issued a similar directive, saying leadership would handle the response. The Pentagon informed employees that any required responses would be coordinated through official channels. Other agencies, including Homeland Security and FEMA, also provided similar instructions.

Reports indicated that some agencies, such as the Department of Transportation, the Secret Service, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, encouraged compliance, while others, including the NSA, IRS, and NOAA, told employees to await further guidance.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union for federal workers, condemned the directive as “cruel and disrespectful” and threatened legal action. Meanwhile, Congressman Gerry Connolly urged OPM to clarify that nonresponse would not be considered a resignation.

Trump recently praised Musk’s initiatives on social media, encouraging a more aggressive approach. While some Republicans supported Musk’s efforts as a necessary audit of federal agencies, others, like Senator John Curtis, urged a more compassionate approach, emphasizing the impact on employees’ lives and livelihoods.