Musk email to US government workers sparks confusion across agencies

Officials astatine aggregate US authorities departments offered unit conflicting guidance connected however to respond to a Saturday email touted by Trump advisor Elon Musk requesting they database their accomplishments from the past week.

The guidance marks notable nationalist disagreement betwixt Trump appointees who negociate thousands of bureaucrats and Musk who - arsenic the caput of the alleged Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) - has been starring an extracurricular effort to aggressively trim authorities spending.

Some heads of agencies encouraged unit to comply portion others requested employees hold for further guidance connected however to appropriately respond.

President Donald Trump has yet to remark connected the email.

The connection sent to millions of national employees Saturday evening came aft Musk posted connected his societal media level X that authorities unit would "shortly person an email requesting to recognize what they got done past week".

In a transcript of the email obtained by the BBC, employees were asked to respond explaining their accomplishments from the past week successful 5 slug points - without disclosing classified accusation - earlier midnight connected Monday. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the national government's quality resources agency, confirmed the email was authentic.

The connection did not notation whether declining to comply would beryllium considered a resignation, contempt Musk's societal media assertion that "failure to respond volition beryllium taken arsenic a resignation".

Newly confirmed FBI manager Kash Patel told his employees successful a abstracted email aboriginal Saturday that they should "pause immoderate responses".

"FBI unit whitethorn person received an email from OPM requesting information," Patel wrote successful a connection obtained by CBS News. "The FBI, done the Office of the Director, is successful complaint of each of our reappraisal processes, and volition behaviour reviews successful accordance with the FBI procedures."

The authorities section sent a akin connection to its employees, saying its enactment would respond connected behalf of the agency.

"No worker is obligated to study their activities extracurricular of their Department concatenation of command," an email from Tibor Nagy, acting undersecretary for management, said.

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In a motion that the OPM email whitethorn person travel arsenic a astonishment to galore agencies, a elder fig astatine the Department of Justice wrote to unit connected Saturday evening to say: "Media reports bespeak the email was distributed to employees passim the national government." The connection added, "at this point, we person nary crushed this connection is spam oregon malicious".

Later connected Saturday evening, a follow-up email was sent clarifying that the OPM connection was "legitimate" and that "employees should beryllium prepared to travel the instructions arsenic requested".

The DoJ connection besides came with a informing to staff: "Do not see immoderate sensitive, confidential, oregon classified accusation successful your response. Should you person immoderate questions astir the contents of your effect delight interaction your supervisor."

"If we person further guidance oregon information, I volition update each employees, arsenic necessary."

Other departments, including the Department of Defense, the Internal Revenue Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration requested that employees hold for further guidance, according to media reports.

OPM did not instantly respond to the BBC's inquiries astir whether immoderate unit mightiness beryllium exempt.

The petition besides poses logistical questions. Federal instrumentality prohibits immoderate of the astir 3 cardinal national workers from accessing email extracurricular their moving hours. Other authorities employees, specified arsenic those astatine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, were placed connected permission successful the past month.

Some Republican members of Congress defended Musk and his broader efforts connected Sunday.

Congressman Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, described Musk's efforts arsenic a "comprehensive, forensic audit of each section and bureau successful the national government" and told ABC that the Doge main was trying "to find efficiencies crossed the board".

But Senator John Curtis, a Republican representing Utah, criticised Musk's methods, though said helium supported the eventual extremity of Doge's efforts.

"If I could accidental 1 happening to Elon Musk, it's like, delight enactment a dose of compassion successful this. These are existent people. These are existent lives. These are mortgages," Curtis said successful an interrogation with CBS.

"I don't deliberation this is simply a petition that is that difficult. I would inquire my employees to fto maine cognize what they're doing. But I volition treble down connected the information of we don't request to beryllium truthful acold and hard," helium added.