With Very Few Exceptions, the Agencies There Have Reportedly Voiced Discontent Over Elon Musk’s Directive For All Federal Employees to Justify Their Weekly Operations or Risk Dismissal**
In a rare public criticism, some federal agencies, such as those headed by Trump-appointed leaders, have pushed back against Musk’s recent directive requiring that all federal workers must justify their weekly activities or risk termination. This is the first major pushback against Musk’s efforts to cut costs in the federal government.
Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sent an email over the weekend requiring all federal workers to provide a summary of their weekly achievements by Monday at midnight. The order suggested that to fail to comply would constitute a resignation. The order fits within a larger Trump administration policy on cutting government waste and maximization of profit.
Resistance is being quick in coming from the major agencies. The FBI, State Department, and Pentagon — each led by officials appointed by former President Trump — instructed their employees not to comply with Musk’s directive. The FBI even issued internal guidance telling its employees the email is not to be acted upon, as such reporting must be by internal procedures.
Legal analysts argue that Musk does not have the right at will to terminate federal workers under civil service laws that guarantee their rights. Thus, critics have described this directive to be illegal, coercive, and eroding of long-standing protections for workers. The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of government workers, has largely condemned Musk’s email for its immediate withdrawal, demanding that a formal apology be issued.
The directive has also led to confusion and frustration among federal employees. Some agencies have been silent leaving employees confused as to whom this applies. Most civil servants see this demand as an oversimplification of their duties and an insult to their professionalism.
Musk’s cost-cutting tenure with DOGE has been aggressive, embracing mass firings, reorganization of departments, and attempts to dismantle some federal agencies. While his supporters claim these actions are necessary to reduce the national debt and to eradicate waste, critics on the other hand warn that the methods Musk proposes threaten to dismantle critical governmental functions while actively demoralizing employees.
With the impending Monday deadline approaching, tensions sharpen between Musk’s cost-cutting agenda and federal agencies’ working practices. Resistance from Trump appointees shows his opposition is no longer just coming from political enemies but from within his ranks.