A message from Elon Musk asserting that federal employees will be given “a second chance” to respond to his ultimatum that they justify their jobs or risk termination is likely to spark another round of confusion across the US govt Tuesday. Musk’s warning came after Trump administration officials told federal workers they did not have to respond to his weekend email asking them to summarise their accomplishments of the past week.
But while some federal agencies told their workers to comply, others did not. As Musk’s Monday midnight deadline approached, the US office of personnel management ultimately told agencies their workers could ignore the email.
Musk, tasked to lead a radical downsizing of the govt, seemed undeterred. “Subject to the discretion of the president, they will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination,” he said on X late Monday.
Prior to the new OPM guidance, President Trump told reporters Monday that workers who did not respond would be “sort of semi-fired”, adding to the uncertainty.