Musk’s OPM email: Midnight deadline nears amid widespread confusion

The deadline given to federal employees by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Elon Musk over the weekend is quickly approaching, but widespread confusion remains as agencies tell workers they may not have to reply.

The email instructed federal workers to respond to OPM’s request by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday and outline what they accomplished over the last week in approximately five bullet points.

Leaders of various agencies said their employees don’t have to comply with the request, while some told their staff they should, setting the stage for a rift between President Trump’s top allies and major confusion for workers.

In a post Saturday, Musk said failure to respond to the email would be “taken as a resignation.” He defended the email amid blowback and praised those who gave “good responses.” By knowing what employees accomplish, the administration will be able to spot “outright fraud,” he argued.

The Department of Defense said it was responsible for reviewing employee performance and it would coordinate responses to the OPM email, asking workers to pause a response.

Similarly, FBI Director Kash Patel told employees to not respond to the email and said the bureau would be handling the response.

The State Department also reportedly instructed its employees to not respond. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the intelligence community that staff should not respond given the sensitive nature of their work.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership sent an email to its more than 250,000 employees likewise directing them not to respond to the email.

"DHS management will respond on behalf of the Department and all its component offices," the Sunday email said. "No reporting action from you is needed at this time."

Staff at the Department of Justice (DOJ) were also told on Monday they would not have to respond to the request, with leaders citing the "confidential and sensitive nature" of the DOJ's work.

Not all agencies told their workers to not comply with the request, though.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote a list of five bullet points of things he did last week in a post on X. Duffy and the department instructed employees to reply to the email.

"If you can't come up with five things that you did, maybe you shouldn't be employed here, so again, this is an easy task," Duffy said on Fox News on Monday.

A Saturday email to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the email from OPM was “legitimate” and told employees to respond by the deadline.

However, on Sunday, employees were notified that the department was working with OPM officials on how best to “meet the intent” of the request while respecting the sensitivity of the department’s work.

“Employees are therefore directed to ‘pause’ activities in answering the OPM email,” the department told employees in an email obtained by The Hill.

HHS employees were told they would be receiving more guidance around noon EST Monday, just 12 hours before the 11:59 p.m. deadline.

Musk has doubled down on his request, even though Trump has largely stayed quiet.

On Saturday morning, Trump praised Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, saying he is doing a “great job,” but would like to see him “get more aggressive.”

Musk’s post on X about OPM’s email request came just hours later.

A Trump administration official told The Hill that there are no plans to extend or cancel the 11:59 p.m. deadline.

Rebecca Beitsch and Alex Gangitano contributed.

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