When Elon Musk and President Donald Trump commanded all federal workers to submit weekly emails listing five accomplishments, they warned of harsh consequences: Failure to comply would count as a resignation. Musk called the emails an accountability measure needed to ensure staff even had a “pulse.”
But records obtained by The Washington Post, as well as interviews with three dozen managers and employees across government, reveal that officials refused to comply with core aspects of the directive from the beginning.
In a briefing for top human resources officers across government held just two days after Musk’s directive went out to all federal employees on Feb. 22, the Office of Personnel Management said the initiative was voluntary and noncompliance would not be considered a resignation, according to an email obtained by The Post.
Further undermining Musk’s effort, OPM leaders said in the briefing that the agency did not intend to do anything with the messages that employees did submit, the email stated.
As the billionaire prepares to exit government later this year and his influence appears to wane, the conflicting messages and confusion have had a predictable result. As of this month, agencies maintain an inconsistent patchwork of ...
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