Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has stirred controversy yet again by demanding federal employees report their weekly accomplishments, threatening to take non-compliance as a resignation. This directive, issued via his social media platform, X, affects hundreds of thousands of government workers. The affected employees, spanning several federal agencies, were given a 48-hour window to comply with the order.
Despite Musk's sweeping directive, several federal agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, and Department of Commerce, have advised their employees to disregard the demand. These agencies have instructed compliance with the overall order but omitted Musk’s termination threat.
The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, has publicly challenged Musk's authority to dismiss employees who do not respond. The union has formally requested the rescinding of the message.
The situation has left many employees anxious about their job security. Some lawyers within the US Justice Department have raised concerns about the confidentiality of their work and its suitability for the required report.
Musk, who leads the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), justified the demand with claims of inefficiency and fraud within the government workforce.
“The reason this matters is that a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they are not checking their email at all!” – Elon Musk
Musk further alleged that some government positions might be filled by non-existent individuals or identities of deceased persons.
“In some cases, we believe non-existent people or the identities of dead people are being used… ” – Elon Musk
“In other words, there is outright fraud.” – Elon Musk
The Department of Government Efficiency, established early in the Trump administration, has already implemented significant cuts across the federal workforce. The department has laid off over 20,000 employees and offered buyouts to an additional 75,000 workers.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Ed Martin, Trump's nominee for US Attorney in Washington, DC, have expressed support for Musk's initiative. Director Patel instructed his staff to comply with the order, while Martin praised Musk and DOGE in an email response, expressing his willingness to participate.
The federal government's $36 trillion debt has prompted bipartisan calls for reform. However, Musk's approach has sparked debate over the balance between efficiency and job security.
