Elon Musk has doubled down on his demand that federal workers justify keeping their jobs — sharing his reasoning behind the email.
The billionaire Tesla mogul - who now leads President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) - has defended the controversial email requiring federal employees to list five accomplishments from the past week or be fired.
Trump Calls On Musk To Be More 'Aggressive'
The move came after President Trump offered some praise for Musk in a Truth Social post, but shared that he felt that the Tesla CEO could be doing more.
"ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE. REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA," Trump wrote in a post on Saturday (February 22).
In response, Musk took to X to reveal how he would be putting this constructive feedback into effect.
"Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week," Musk wrote, before adding the ultimatum: "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."
Musk Offers Reason For Email
Musk raised the stakes Monday morning, warning that any federal worker who failed to submit their achievements by 11:59PM would “soon be furthering their career elsewhere.”
Despite the backlash from many, the billionaire has stood by his decision.
In fact, Musk took to X to reply to one social media user who shared their thoughts on why the email was sent.
"So this is just my thought but I don't believe the email Elon sent was actually to see what people are doing. I think it was to see who was part of the leftist resistance. Just a thought," the X user wrote.
However, Musk offered a more to-the-point reasoning, writing: "It was to see who had a pulse and two working neurons."
Mass Firings and Bureaucratic Chaos
DOGE, a newly created entity under Trump’s administration, has already sent shockwaves through the government, firing over 20,000 federal workers and freezing billions in grants and foreign aid.
But the aggressive job purge has met resistance, with multiple agencies—including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Education, Commerce, and Energy—reportedly instructing staffers to ignore Musk’s directive.
Gabbard, who was recently sworn in as Trump’s new spy chief, followed the FBI’s lead in rejecting Musk’s authority, warning intelligence officers not to engage.
“Given the inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work, [intelligence community] employees should not respond to the OPM email,” Gabbard stated, according to a report from The New York Times.
Her stance aligns with that of FBI Director Kash Patel, who, just a day after taking office, told his workers to disregard Musk’s demands.
“FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. 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,” Patel wrote in a memo obtained by NBC News.
“When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”
Musk’s Take-No-Prisoners Approach
Musk, who pulled a similar stunt after taking over Twitter (now X), dismissed the backlash, insisting the email requirement was merely “a very basic pulse check.”
While government officials scramble to determine whether DOGE has any real authority, Trump appears to be all-in on Musk’s aggressive approach.
The 78-year-old president signaled his approval by sharing an edited SpongeBob SquarePants meme mocking federal workers upset over the order.
The meme features SpongeBob holding a notepad, seemingly deep in thought, while his dimwitted friend Patrick Star presents a list titled “Got Done Last Week.” The satirical list includes:
- “Cried about Trump”
- “Cried about Elon”
- “Made it to the office for once”
- “Read some emails”
- “Cried about Trump and Elon some more”
With Musk at the helm of DOGE and Trump standing by his side, the battle over America’s federal workforce is far from over.