WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President backed demand that federal employees explain their recent accomplishments by the end of Monday or risk getting fired, even as government agency officials were told that compliance with Musk's edict was voluntary.
Confusion and anger over the situation spawned new litigation and added to turmoil within the federal workforce.
鈥淲hat he鈥檚 doing is saying, 鈥楢re you actually working?鈥欌�� Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with . 鈥淎nd then, if you don鈥檛 answer, like, you鈥檙e sort of semi-fired or you鈥檙e fired, because a lot of people aren鈥檛 answering because they don鈥檛 even exist.鈥�
The Republican president said has found 鈥渉undreds of billions of dollars in fraud鈥� as he suggested that federal paychecks are going to nonexistent employees. He did not present evidence for his claims.
But even as Trump and Musk pressed their case, the Office of Personnel Management informed agency leaders that their workforces were not required to respond by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters.
The conflicting directives led to a proliferation of varying advice for federal employees, depending on where they work. Some were told to answer the request for five things that they did last week, others were informed it was optional, and others were directed not to answer at all.
Meanwhile, attorneys representing unions, businesses, veterans and conservation organizations filed an updated lawsuit in federal court in California on Monday, arguing Musk had violated the law by threatening mass firings.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by the State Democracy Defenders Fund, called it 鈥渙ne of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.鈥�
Anna Kelly, a White House deputy press secretary, criticized the litigation by saying 鈥渋n the time it took these employees on taxpayer-funded salaries to file a frivolous lawsuit, they could have briefly recapped their accomplishments to their managers, as is common in the private sector, 100 times over.鈥�
Musk is leading Trump's efforts . They've urged employees to resign, directed agencies to lay off probationary workers and halted work at some agencies altogether.
There has been pushback in protests around Washington and from within the government. The Office of Special Counsel, a watchdog for the federal workforce, said Monday that the firing of several probationary workers may be illegal. Trump is trying to fire the office鈥檚 leader, Hampton Dellinger, in a case that has reached
Dellinger asked the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board to stop layoffs of six employees, but suggested that many more workers should also be protected from losing their jobs.
There are also signs Musk is testing the limits of his influence. Some administration officials 鈥� including some of Trump's most strident allies, such as FBI Director Kash Patel 鈥� have told employees not to respond to the email requesting five things they did, citing privacy or security concerns and noting that agencies have their own processes for evaluating employees.
鈥淲hen and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses," Patel wrote in an email.
It has been the most significant public divergence between the billionaire entrepreneur and Senate-approved Cabinet leaders who have otherwise been enthusiastic about fulfilling Musk's objectives.
Trump dismissed the idea there was any kind of split involving his most powerful adviser.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 mean that in any way combatively with Elon,鈥� he said, adding that 鈥渆veryone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea.鈥�
The Office of Personnel Management, which functions as a human resources agency for the federal government, declined to comment Monday while Musk continued to threaten layoffs.
鈥淭hose who do not take this email seriously will soon be furthering their career elsewhere,鈥� he posted on X, his social media platform.
The latest turbulence began over the weekend, when Trump posted on his social media website, 鈥淓LON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE."
Musk followed by saying 鈥渁ll federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week," and he claimed "failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.鈥� The directive echoed how he has managed his own companies.
The Office of Personnel Management sent out its own request afterward.
鈥淧lease reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager," the message said. However, it said nothing about the potential for employees being fired for noncompliance. The deadline was listed as 11:59 p.m. EST Monday.
There was led by the president鈥檚 loyalists 鈥� including the State Department, Homeland Security and the Pentagon 鈥� which instructed their employees over the weekend not to respond. Lawmakers in both major political parties said Musk鈥檚 mandate may be illegal.
Justice Department employees were told in an email Monday morning that they don鈥檛 need to respond to the request 鈥渄ue to the confidential and sensitive nature of the Department鈥檚 work.鈥�
But employees in the U.S. attorney鈥檚 office in Washington were instructed to respond 鈥渋n general terms,鈥� leaving out case-specific or otherwise sensitive information. In an email viewed by The Associated Press, attorneys were provided with guidance about how to respond about the number of court hearings they attended, defendants they charged, cases they resolved or other tasks.
Education Department workers were directed to comply on Monday morning. 鈥淭he email is legitimate and employees should respond,鈥� wrote Rachel Oglesby, chief of staff at the department. She added that 鈥渇rontline supervisors will evaluate responses and non-responses.鈥�
Thousands of government employees have been forced out of the federal workforce 鈥� either by being fired or through a 鈥渄eferred resignation鈥� offer 鈥� during the first month of . There's no official figure available for the total firings or layoffs, but hundreds of thousands of workers who are being affected. Many work outside Washington.
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Associated Press writers Steve Peoples in New York, Eric Tucker, Amanda Seitz, Byron Tau, Ellen Knickmeyer, Matthew Perrone, Alanna Durkin Richer and Tara Copp in Washington and Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed to this report.
Chris Megerian And Lindsay Whitehurst, The Associated Press
