‘Still required to respond,’ says Musk as Trump admin issues second round of emails to US govt employees over work details

“The President has made it clear that this is mandatory for the executive branch,” Musk stated on X, as reported by Reuters. He added that even those working on classified matters must respond but can simply note that their work is sensitive.

This is Musk’s second attempt at enforcing the requirement. Last week, a similar email was sent out with a warning that those who did not comply could be fired. However, agencies such as the State and Justice departments advised employees to follow existing procedures, leading OPM to clarify that responses were voluntary.

Despite this, Musk, backed by President Donald Trump, remains committed to the effort. Both have suggested that some federal employees may not actually exist on payrolls.

The latest emails do not include explicit threats of job loss but state that workers are expected to submit their responses at the start of each workweek, Reuters confirmed.

Media reports indicate that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has instructed Pentagon staff to comply, while the State Department has again advised its employees to hold off. Meanwhile, acting US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, told his office to follow the directive, according to messages reviewed by Reuters.

Emails were also sent to workers at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These agencies have all been targeted for job cuts under DOGE.

The administration has already begun making significant workforce reductions. Reuters reports that around 100,000 federal employees have either accepted buyouts or been dismissed since DOGE was tasked with cutting government staff and spending. The federal workforce consists of approximately 2.3 million employees in total.

However, the layoffs have been so abrupt that some agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have had to rehire staff to maintain public safety.

Most recently, the Trump administration shut down a team of technology specialists responsible for developing the IRS’ free tax filing service and modernising government websites.

In an email to employees of the General Services Administration (GSA), Director of Technology Transformation Services Thomas Shedd stated that the team, known as 18F, was deemed “non-critical”.

18F was created during Barack Obama’s presidency to reduce bureaucracy, eliminate inefficiencies, and improve public-facing government websites.

Musk’s role and DOGE’s authority are now central to multiple lawsuits challenging their access to government systems and sensitive data. Plaintiffs argue that Musk and DOGE are overstepping legal boundaries, exercising powers that should be limited to agencies established by Congress or officials confirmed by the Senate.

According to Reuters, Musk’s influence has also caused friction within Trump’s White House, although Trump remains fully supportive of the initiative.

While Musk is not a Cabinet member and has not undergone Senate confirmation, the Trump administration has been unclear about his exact position within DOGE.