"Wait to answer": Heads of US authorities counter Elon Musk

Elon Musk is asking more than two million federal employees to write to him about what they have been working on recently. This is being criticized by some of those responsible in the authorities. They are asking their employees not to respond. Suddenly, US human resources management is also rowing back.

A threat by tech billionaire Elon Musk to fire government employees caused confusion over the weekend. Musk wants to see proof of employment from them within a set period of time - otherwise they will be fired. Several US authorities instructed their employees not to respond to a corresponding email, as several US media reported, citing people familiar with the situation. The government employees' union (AFGE) also took legal action against the order, according to court documents.

Musk announced on Saturday on his platform X that - in line with the instructions of US President Donald Trump - all federal employees would soon receive a corresponding email. "Failure to respond will be considered termination," he threatened.

Court documents show that an email with the subject "What did you do last week?" was actually sent on Saturday from an address in the US Office of Personnel Management - with instructions to provide bullet points of work and to CC the direct supervisor. The deadline was Monday evening, 11:59 p.m. (local time). "According to information available, this email was sent to more than two million federal employees," the documents say.

Musk: "Looking for a new job"

US media reported that several agencies were then instructed not to comply with the call. The Defense Department posted a corresponding instruction from human resources officer Darin S. Selnick on X on Sunday: "For now, please wait to respond to the email." Musk responded to another high-ranking official in the department, who had sharply criticized the instruction according to media reports, on X by saying: "Anyone who has the attitude of this Pentagon official should look for a new job."

However, according to US media, FBI Director Kash Patel and intelligence coordinator Tulsi Gabbard are among those who gave such instructions - both were only recently appointed to their positions by Trump. It is therefore unclear to what extent there is disagreement within the US government about how to deal with Musk's email and who should even answer it.

Second email causes confusion

A second email from the US Department of Personnel Management then caused further confusion - according to consistent media reports, officials were informed that responding to the previous email was "voluntary" and therefore there was no need to fear dismissals.

The US president, however, denied contradictory communication. In some authorities, there were instructions not to respond because they were dealing with confidential matters, Trump explained on the sidelines of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. "This was by no means intended as an attack on Elon," the Republican emphasized, calling Musk's email "a pretty brilliant idea." He had already backed the tech billionaire and wrote on Truth Social that he wanted to see him act even more "aggressively."

Trump has tasked Musk with reducing government spending and has given him virtually free rein to do so. A committee called Doge (Department of Government Efficiency) has been set up for this purpose and is attached to the White House. Musk is pushing ahead with the restructuring of the state apparatus in Trump's name - including mass layoffs.