As the deadline for federal employees to submit their weekly accomplishments looms, backlash against Elon Musk’s directive is intensifying. The billionaire entrepreneur, who recently acquired X, has stirred controversy by ordering the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to collect reports from state employees detailing their recent work.
On Saturday evening, Musk announced via social media that state employees were required to email a summary of their achievements from the previous week. He emphasized that failure to comply by the end of the day on Monday could result in job losses, a move many politicians from both sides of the aisle have criticized.
Mixed Reactions from Government Officials
The response within government ranks has been mixed. Some prominent allies of former President Donald Trump have advised their teams to disregard Musk’s request. For instance, newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel, a significant figure in the Trump administration, instructed his staff to refrain from responding to DOGE’s demands, asserting that the FBI would manage its review processes independently.
“The FBI, through the office of the director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures,” he stated in an email.
This direction contrasts sharply with that of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who urged his approximately 80,000 employees to comply with Musk’s request. Notably, after an initial recommendation to ignore the directive, staff were later advised to pause all activities related to the report.
Criticism from Politicians and Unions
The political and social backlash has been significant. Various politicians and labor unions have characterized Musk’s ultimatum as lacking compassion. Utah Republican Senator John Curtis expressed concern, stating, “If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it’s like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are real lives.” He emphasized the fallacy in the notion that cuts must be carried out with cruelty.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), echoed these sentiments, asserting that Musk’s actions reflect “utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people.” He further proclaimed that the AFGE would contest any unlawful terminations stemming from Musk’s directive.
Over the past weekend, Trump encouraged Musk to adopt an even more aggressive approach to reducing government expenditures, building on his administration’s previous cuts that resulted in the dismissal of thousands of federal workers and the significant downsizing of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).