Elon Musk has warned federal employees those who fail to return to the office will be placed on administrative leave.
Writing on his social media platform X, Musk said:
“Those who ignored President Trump’s executive order to return to work have now received over a month’s warning.
“Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave.”
Mandatory Productivity Reports
Over the weekend, Musk announced federal employees must report their weekly accomplishments or risk losing their jobs.
- Employees received an email instructing them to list their achievements from the past week.
- The task is expected to take less than five minutes.
- The deadline for submission is Monday at 11:59 p.m.
- Failure to comply could result in termination.
Emails from the Office of Personnel Management confirmed the directive, prompting swift reactions across government agencies.
Agencies Split on Compliance
Confusion spread as different agencies responded with conflicting guidance.
- Pentagon, FBI, and State Department: Officials advised employees to ignore Musk’s directive.
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Initially instructed employees not to comply, then later reversed course, only to pause the directive again until further notice.
- State Department: Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy assured employees that officials would submit a collective response on behalf of the department.
- Department of Defense (DOD): Advised its civilian workforce to disregard the mandate.
- FBI: Director Kash Patel told employees to “stand down.”
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Trump Urges Musk to Be “More Aggressive”
President Donald Trump voiced support for Musk’s actions but pushed for a more forceful approach.
Writing on Truth Social, he said:
“ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE.
“REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA!”
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Uncertainty Looms Over Federal Workforce
As deadlines approach, government employees face mounting pressure to comply with Musk’s directive or risk suspension.
The standoff between Musk and federal agencies signals potential legal and administrative battles in the days ahead.
