Federal employees were given a deadline to outline their work accomplishments by Elon Musk, with the threat of termination for non-compliance, but it appears that no consequences will be faced for those who did not respond. President Trump praised Musk’s ultimatum as “genius,” but the Office of Personnel Management clarified that responding was not mandatory. Musk indicated that he may issue the directive again as a mandatory requirement, with termination as a consequence for non-response after a second chance.

While some departments like Commerce, Interior, and Veterans Affairs encouraged employees to respond, others resisted, asserting their control over their workforces. The Department of Health and Human Services stated that there was no obligation to respond, emphasizing data security in case of responses. The intelligence community, Department of Defense, FBI, State Department, Homeland Security, and Justice Department also advised their employees not to reply to the OPM email, with plans to handle responses internally.

This directive by Musk, targeting potentially 2.3 million federal workers, has sparked bipartisan criticism for its legality and scope. Responses are expected to be assessed using AI technology. Despite the backlash, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson defended Musk’s actions as a standard practice in the private sector, emphasizing fair treatment for all workers. Musk defended his approach as applying consistent standards across public and private sectors.