Musk push to downsize federal workforce runs into Cabinet roadblock

Elon Musk's push to reduce the federal workforce is running into headwinds as Senate-confirmed Cabinet and agency officials block his immediate efforts to carry out the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) plans.

Musk’s weekend directive for government employees to respond with bullet points describing what they accomplished in the past week under the threat of termination was not thwarted by courts or independent watch dogs.

Instead, it was newly minted department and agency chiefs who slowed the effort, earning the support of some GOP lawmakers.

“I think that's why we worked so hard to get these folks confirmed,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters Tuesday. “They’re now in a position to make those decisions, and I think some of those already asserted that right to make those decisions.”

“These are very capable people that are going to be responsible for running big departments and agencies and overseeing thousands of employees,” Thune continued, saying the administration is giving them “latitude” for now.

“They ought to do everything they can to make their departments work more efficiently and to find savings. And in many cases, they are going to make those decisions on their own.”

The GOP leader added to The Hill that the directive was getting “mixed reviews” from a number of the agency heads who had been confirmed.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have broadly welcomed DOGE’s actions to reduce the roughly 2 million federal workforce in the name of waste, fraud and abuse. But the way that DOGE and Musk have operated clearly have been an annoyance.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said the recent move has resulted in “organizational confusion that doesn’t benefit anybody,” including the rising number of secretaries and directors of various government entities who have won approval by the upper chamber.

“A lot of them are thinking when you get a confirmed position, that they need to take control,” Tillis said. “And then DOGE becomes a facilitator, but shouldn’t be dual-track.”

“It was OK to have some leadership coming out of DOGE, but now these [Senate-confirmed individuals] are coming in. They’re the report-tos,” Tillis continued. “They’re going to be responsible for the overall performance of the organization. They’ve got to have control.”

Musk’s email started what looked like a turf war between DOGE and agency heads. Some told their employees they would not need to respond to the email, while others said employees should do so.

Leaders at the FBI and the departments of Justice and Homeland Security and more all advised their employees not to respond.

This does not mean the Trump allies do not want to reduce the size of the government. But they do appear to want to do it on their terms.

FBI Director Kash Patel in a Saturday message to staff said “when and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”

“The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of our review processes and will conduct reviews,” he added.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has offered conflicting guidance about whether employees even need to respond to the email.

In a meeting with human resources leaders at each agency, the OPM relayed it was ”voluntary” for employees to respond and also said those who didn’t would not have their nonresponse logged as a resignation.

But after numerous reports about that advisement, OPM issued a new memo that walked that back slightly, writing that it was up to each agency head whether to exempt their staff from responding to Musk’s latest email.

However, that guidance conflicts with an earlier memo the OPM was forced to prepare in response to litigation, in which the agency said any response to the hr@opm.gov email address was “explicitly voluntary.”

White House counselor Alina Habba brushed aside concerns that Musk was at odds with agency heads.

“There’s no question that every single Cabinet member, every single person that was put into this administration wants the American people working, wants people back to work, wants to stop the Zoom calls and wants to stop people from double-dipping and having two jobs when taxpayer dollars are paying for you to come to work,” she told reporters Tuesday.

Some GOP lawmakers also zeroed in on Trump saying in recent days that he wanted Musk and DOGE to get “more aggressive,” and that it could be an avenue to put pressure on the numerous department and agency leaders to act.

“[The White House wants] to be aggressive. They want to do top-to-bottom review, which is great, and you’ve got some of the Cabinet secretaries who are like, ‘Yeah, we’re for that — but we prefer to do that ourselves,’” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) about the ongoing effort. “So I think you’ve got a push and pull going on there.”

“My guess is [Trump’s] trying to push his Cabinet secretaries a little bit because Musk is kind of stirring things up, and some of them are like, ‘OK, OK, OK, OK, OK — we don’t want him to do our own personnel so we’ll do it,’” Hawley continued. “And maybe that suits the president. … This is early days in this White House, and sure, it’s the second term, but it’s a whole new team of people, so I think they’re figuring it out.”

Others are downright supportive and want the Trump-Musk duo to shatter Washington norms for good.

“I don’t understand why so many people are screaming like Musk stole their dog. I just don’t think this is at all unreasonable,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). “I understand this is not normal for Washington, D.C. But normal in Washington is a setting on the dryer.”

Alex Gangitano contributed.

Topics

Some agency heads push back on demands for federal employees that Musk touted

Several federal agency leaders appointed by President Trump told employees not to reply to an Office of Management and Budget email demanding more details on accomplished tasks. Elon Musk previewed ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump calls Elon Musk's email ultimatum 'genius' as federal workers and some agencies push back

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday embraced Elon Musk's ultimatum demanding that federal workers report what they had accomplished last week or lose their jobs, a directive facing ...
NBC News - 1d
Jim Jordan derides critics of federal workforce cuts

He cited an example from the Washington Post about a locksmith.
Politico - 2d
Musk to join Trump’s first White House Cabinet meeting

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is set to join President Trump’s first White House Cabinet meeting slated for Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Musk's attendance comes as widespread ...
The Hill - 10h
Agencies push back on Musk ultimatum

Elon Musk and DOGE sent an email to federal employees demanding they list five things they worked on in the past week, saying failure to respond would be taken as resignation. But multiple agency ...
CBS News - 2d
Let’s end remote work without accountability in the federal workforce

It’s important to understand the particulars of the federal employment system that makes remote work so problematic.
The Hill - 3d
OPM now says email survey to federal workforce is ‘voluntary’

NBC News Correspondents Vaughn Hillyard and Ken Dilanian explain the latest actions by Elon Musk’s DOGE commission as the Trump administration continues to reshape the federal workforce. NBC News ...
NBC News - 1d
Agencies push back on Musk email, including FBI, Pentagon, State, Intel

Several federal agencies have advised employees not to respond to Elon Musk’s email demanding federal workers list five accomplishments from the past week or risk losing their jobs. The email ...
The Hill - 2d
What is the Tush Push? How Eagles execute the play, why they run it so well, and how other teams fare

The Eagles have an unstoppable play the league may try to ban again
CBS Sports - 13h
Musk boasts federal cuts by hoisting chainsaw at conference

Elon Musk drives home his rapid shredding of the federal government by hoisting a chainsaw representing the slashing of jobs and spending during a conference. Some Republicans are facing pushback ...
NBC News - 4d
Alarm over Musk's latest demands for federal employees

Elon Musk posted on social media about federal workers having to document their work or risk losing their jobs. This comes as more details emerge about USAID worker firings and as Musk persists on ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump defends Musk’s ‘genius’ email to federal workers

President Trump on Monday defended tech billionaire Elon Musk after pushback over his email demanding federal workers list five accomplishments from the past week and in doing so, raising the of ...
The Hill - 1d
Deadline looms for federal workers over Musk’s demand

President Trump praised Elon Musk’s demand for federal workers to outline in an email what they accomplished last week – or face dismissal. But there is also confusion after the Trump ...
NBC News - 1d
Thune urges Musk to treat federal workers 'respectfully'

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday urged Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to treat federal workers respectfully as they look to cut ...
The Hill - 9h
How Federal Employees Are Fighting Back Against Elon Musk

Some civil servants are using whatever levers they have to resist the orders of the world’s richest man, both in public and behind closed doors.
The New York Times - 3d
Musk sends warning to federal employees over new Trump policy

Elon Musk, special advisor to President Trump, warned federal employees on Saturday of a new policy requiring them to detail their work efforts via email in order to keep their jobs. “Consistent ...
The Hill - 3d
Elon Musk demands federal workers explain their jobs or be sacked

Billionaire steps up efforts to cull government employees with emailed deadline
Financial Times - 3d
Elon Musk Tells Federal Workers to Detail Work in an Email or Lose Their Jobs

Elon Musk has drawn inspiration from his 2022 takeover of Twitter with the tactic. His threat on social media of termination did not appear in an email to federal workers requesting the work ...
The New York Times - 2d
Elon Musk says federal workers must justify their work — or resign

Billionaire Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to federal employees Saturday, saying in a post on his social media platform X that employees must respond to an email justifying the work they completed ...
NBC News - 3d
List weekly accomplishments or resign, Musk tells US federal workers

The weekend email comes as Elon Musk leads an effort to aggressively curtail the government workforce.
BBC News - 2d
Elon Musk demands federal employees justify their work or resign

Federal employees are on edge after weeks of mass firings and President Donald Trump urging Elon Musk and his DOGE team to “get more aggressive” on government cuts. Musk and his team emailed ...
NBC News - 2d
Musk says federal worker email meant to spot 'outright fraud'

Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Sunday the email to federal employees asking them to report back on their weekly accomplishments is meant to spot “outright fraud” from people on the payroll who ...
The Hill - 2d
GOP senator calls for 'compassion' in Musk's approach to federal workers

Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) on Sunday called for “compassion” in tech billionaire Elon Musk’s approach to federal workers. “I just published an op-ed, Deseret News, Deseret.com, and I talk about my ...
The Hill - 2d
Musk: Federal workers who haven’t returned to office will be placed on leave this week

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk said early Monday that federal workers who haven’t returned to the office will be placed on administrative leave this week. Last month, ...
The Hill - 1d
Some federal employees told not to respond to Musk ultimatum to document work or resign

An email from the Office of Personnel Management went out to millions of federal employees directing them to document what they accomplished last week. On social media, billionaire Elon Musk warned ...
CBS News - 1d
Federal workers sue over Musk's threat to fire if they don't explain accomplishments

Attorneys for federal workers say in a lawsuit billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk violated the law with his weekend demand that employees explain their accomplishments or risk being fired
ABC News - 1d
Mike Johnson says Elon Musk 'cracked the code' on federal bureaucracy

President Donald Trump is set to receive French President Emmanuel Macron today, the first European leader to be welcomed to the White House by Trump since the beginning of his second term.
NBC News - 1d
Musk demands federal employees list accomplishments or lose job

Elon Musk faces new resistance from inside the Trump administration over an ultimatum he sent to more than 2 million federal workers, asking them to justify their work or resign. Some agencies told ...
NBC News - 1d
DOGE's Musk says federal employees must document their work or resign

Some federal agencies, including the State and Defense Departments, told their employees not to respond to an email asking for a list of tasks they completed.
CBS News - 1d
Federal employees suing Elon Musk over tasks email

Federal employees are suing Elon Musk after receiving an email that the Trump ally touted on social media. The lawsuit surrounds an email demanding a list of tasks done throughout the week or risk ...
CBS News - 1d
Americanswers... on 5 Live! What's Elon Musk's latest threat to federal workers?

And will the president listen to European leaders this week?
BBC News - 1d
Some federal agencies tell workers to ignore Musk email

An email from the Office of Personnel Management prompted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency asks federal employees to justify what they do. Some agencies like the Pentagon and ...
CBS News - 1d
Morale is "abysmal" after Elon Musk's email ultimatum, federal worker says

The office that asked federal workers to document five things they accomplished over the past week told executive branch officials on Monday that individual agencies can decide how to respond, ...
CBS News - 1d
Federal workers left confused as Musk doubles down on threat

Employees get conflicting advice over compliance with a Musk-backed order to list their last week's work or face termination.
BBC News - 1d
Eye Opener: President Trump backs Elon Musk's ultimatum for federal workers

More confusion as President Trump backs Elon Musk's ultimatum for federal workers to list their achievements or face the consequences. Also, the U.S. sides with Russia at the U.N. as France's ...
CBS News - 15h
Federal workers demand help from Congress after firings, Musk's ultimatum

Federal workers are struggling to figure out what is happening with their jobs after Elon Musk's ultimatum to document their work or resign. Some are showing up at town halls nationwide, demanding ...
CBS News - 14h
Musk's new threats for federal employees asked to justify their jobs

Elon Musk posted new threats on social media to federal employees regarding an email sent by the Office of Personnel Management on weekly tasks reporting. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi has the latest.
CBS News - 14h
Federal Tech Staffers Resign Rather Than Help Musk and DOGE

In a joint resignation letter, 21 staffers wrote that they were leaving the controversial DOGE office. Here’s why.
Inc. - 9h
Confusion among federal workers over mixed messages on Elon Musk email

There were new mixed messages from the White House with special advisor Elon Musk now threatening "termination" for federal employees who don't respond to an email asking what they did last week. ...
CBS News - 4h