Leaders at various federal agencies seem unprepared for a recent email sent out by HR@opm.gov. At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), some managers initially advised against responding, suspecting a phishing attempt, while others warned employees not to log into their work email. Conflicting guidance also emerged at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where some were told to wait for further instructions while others were directed to comply. The email even reached federal judges, prompting the Department of Administrative Services for US Federal Courts to inform staff that “this email did not originate from the Judiciary or the Administrative Office and we suggest that no action be taken.” Military personnel were also advised to wait for guidance from the Department of Defense. Most agencies are in a holding pattern, with employees reporting no communication from senior leadership on how to respond to this escalation in efforts by Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce the federal workforce. At the National Institutes of Health, workers received a message titled “Please Await Guidance,” stating that “information is forthcoming” without a timeline. The email bears similarities to one Musk sent during his Twitter takeover, and White House figures indicate that 75,000 employees accepted a deferred resignation offer, with many likely being set to leave anyway due to high turnover rates. Although Musk claims responsibility for the email and is identified as the source of the resignation threat, it remains unclear what authority he has to terminate federal employees through such communication. The White House has stated that Musk is a “senior advisor” and lacks the formal authority to make government decisions.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been given little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week, sparking confusion across key agencies as billionaire Elon Musk expands his crusade to slash the size of federal government.
“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 in a post on X. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” Musk’s post comes as President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the heads of federal agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force.” The executive order also states that, “the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition (Plan).” Since Trump’s executive order, all across the government, agencies have began laying off employees in an effort to decrease the size of the bloated federal government. Breitbart News’s Katherine Hamilton previously reported that the Office of Personnel Management had instructed federal agencies to “lay off nearly all probationary employees.” Probationary employees within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Education, and Department of Veterans Affairs were also reported as having been let go.
