In a move that has caused widespread confusion and controversy within the U.S. federal government, Elon Musk, advisor to President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, sent an email to federal employees on Saturday requesting them to list five accomplishments from the previous week.

The email, which came with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, February 24, 2025, has been extended, according to Musk’s post on X (formerly Twitter).

The reaction to Musk’s email has been mixed across different federal agencies:

• The FBI, State Department, Pentagon, and Department of Energy instructed their employees not to respond to the email. Some agencies raised a red flag in Musk’s demand, citing that emails of this nature could cause national security concerns. 
• The Department of Health and Human Services initially directed staff to respond but later told them to “pause” their replies.
• The Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, and Interior Departments provided guidance on how to respond while emphasizing the importance of not disclosing classified information.

Of course, there was confusion from the executive branch of the United States government. President Trump said employees who did not reply would be “sort of semi-fired” or “fired” if they didn’t comply, while the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) later clarified that responding to the email was voluntary and that not replying would not be interpreted as a resignation. 

Trump also praised Musk’s work over the weekend.

The American Federation of Government Employees said that with the OPM email, “Elon Musk and the Trump Administration have shown their utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people.”