Importance Score: 72 / 100 🔴
Elon Musk’s Federal Employee Directive Encounters Technical Issues
A controversial directive from Elon Musk, dubbed ‘First Buddy,’ requiring all federal employees to submit weekly accomplishment reports, has faced an embarrassing technical glitch. The mandate, intended to streamline government efficiency, has instead been hampered by email delivery failures, highlighting initial challenges in its implementation. This new reporting policy, impacting various government sectors, has raised concerns and sparked debate about its practicality and impact on federal operations.
Email System Overload Disrupts Weekly Reports
This week, numerous federal workers across diverse agencies reported that their attempts to send lists detailing their top five weekly achievements resulted in email bounce-backs, according to reports. Employees received automated messages indicating that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) mailbox was at full capacity and unable to receive further emails.
The automated reply stated: “The recipient’s mailbox is full and can’t accept messages now. Please try resending your message later or contact the recipient directly.”
This technical malfunction has impacted staff at several key federal bodies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Agencies Seek Alternative Solutions Amid Email Problems
In response to the widespread email issues, some agency leaders have instructed their personnel to submit their weekly reports to alternative email addresses.
For example, at the Department of Health and Human Services, an internal email circulated on Monday acknowledging the delivery failures. It instructed employees: “We are aware that emails… are being returned as undeliverable. Please send your weekly accomplishments to [an alternative email address] and CC your supervisor.”
Similarly, Ken Johnson, COO of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), informed employees via email that if they encountered bounce-back messages, they should “please save your email to OPM for your records, but otherwise there is nothing more you need to do today,” as reported by The Bulwark.
Initial Resistance and Concerns Over Musk’s Mandate
Musk’s original directive, issued at the end of February, aimed to collect weekly accomplishment lists from federal employees as part of an initiative to reduce the size of the federal government.
The initial email instructed workers to reply with “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week” by a Monday 11:59 pm EST deadline. Failure to comply, according to a post by the Tesla CEO on X, would be “taken as resignation.”
However, the mandate faced immediate pushback. Some government employees publicly criticized the directive, labeling it as “harassment” and arguing that the requirement to justify weekly tasks created a “hostile work environment.”
Notably, some former Trump administration officials, including former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and former FBI Director Kash Patel, advised their staff to disregard the request.
Rejection of Directive by Former Officials
In a message to officials, Gabbard asserted, “Given the inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work, I.C. employees should not respond to the OPM email.”
Patel also clarified that the FBI “is in charge of all of our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures.” He instructed his employees, “When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”
Reports also indicated that figures like Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, and Kristi Noem also advised employees to disregard the controversial email.
Limited Compliance and Easing of Enforcement
Musk defended the policy against criticism, claiming it was a “trivial” task common in the private sector.
Nevertheless, Bloomberg reported that in the initial week of the mandate, slightly over one million federal employees, less than half of the total workforce, submitted responses.
According to sources speaking to ABC News, enforcement of the weekly reporting requirement has diminished in the subsequent month. Some agencies and employees are reportedly no longer submitting reports without facing repercussions.
One employee told the outlet about staff members openly mocking the initiative in their reports, suggesting a lack of serious oversight: “I don’t think anyone is reading these.”
President Trump’s Stance and Potential End to Musk’s Government Role
The apparent decline in enforcement followed President Trump clarifying earlier in the month that Musk does not have hiring or firing authority and can only offer recommendations to agency heads.
President Trump also reportedly advised his Cabinet to be more selective in workforce reductions amidst ongoing opposition to broad cuts.
Instead of a sweeping approach, Trump advocated for a more targeted strategy, urging secretaries to use a “scalpel” for “surgical” precision in personnel decisions.
This Cabinet meeting marked a shift, with President Trump seemingly willing to limit Musk’s influence. On Monday, President Trump hinted at the potential conclusion of Musk’s government involvement.
“We’re getting down to a point [where] we think probably over the next two or three months, we’ll be pretty much satisfied with the people that are working hard and want to be members of the administration and our country,” he stated at a cabinet meeting.
The Office of Personnel Management has been contacted for comment.