WASHINGTON (AP) — Key U.S. agencies, including the FBI, State Department, and the Pentagon, have instructed their employees not to comply with Elon Musk's latest demand that federal workers report their weekly accomplishments or face job termination.
The directive, supported by President Donald Trump, has caused chaos within the federal workforce just a month after Trump returned to the White House with plans to shrink the government. Administration officials spent the weekend interpreting Musk’s unusual mandate, which some lawmakers argue is illegal. Unions are demanding the administration rescind the request, threatening legal action.
Some officials are resisting while others encourage compliance, leading to conflicting guidance across agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., initially instructed its 80,000 employees to comply, but later advised a “pause” until further notice.
Sean Keveney, acting general counsel, expressed security concerns and noted that some agency work may be protected by attorney-client privilege. He stated there are no assurances of protections for responses.
Musk's team sent an email on Saturday demanding employees report five accomplishments from the previous week within 48 hours. Failure to respond by the deadline would result in job loss, according to a message Musk posted on social media platform X.
Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized Musk's ultimatum. Trump urged Musk to be “more aggressive” in reducing government size through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Senator John Curtis from Utah urged Musk to consider the human impact, while Rep. Mike Lawler questioned the legal basis for dismissals.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen declared the actions illegal. Trump mocked affected workers on social media, sharing a meme deriding their accomplishments.
New FBI Director Kash Patel instructed employees to ignore Musk’s request, pending further review by the agency. Ed Martin, interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, initially instructed compliance but later offered leeway to respond at employees' discretion.
State, Defense, and Homeland Security departments were consistent in their responses. Tibor Nagy, acting undersecretary of state for management, assured employees they were not obligated to report activities outside departmental command. Pentagon leadership directed employees to “pause” responses, and Homeland Security stated no immediate action was required.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, called for the administration to apologize and rescind the demand, describing Musk as "unelected and unhinged.” Thousands of employees have been affected by job cuts or "deferred resignation" offers, though exact figures are unavailable.
Musk defended his request as a “basic pulse check,” alleging fraud within the workforce without providing evidence. He falsely claimed that deceased individuals were fraudulently receiving paychecks.
Thousands of federal employees, including those at the Pentagon and USAID, are preparing to leave the workforce due to cuts or leave.
Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Byron Tau, Ellen Knickmeyer, Matthew Perrone, Tara Copp in Washington, and Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed to this report.
