Donald Trump seemed to give his blessing to the controversial efficiency drive of Elon Musk after his cost-saving Tsar told the federal employees that they had to explain their recent output or run the risk of losing their jobs.
In a message about his social social platform, the president shared a Spongebob-Meme with a task list, with the text: 'Ready last week: called for Trump; cried around Elon; it has come to the office for once; Read some e -mails; Cryed a little more about Trump and Elon. '
He also shared a joke, “From Elon …”, who seemed to be a tongue-in-cheek screenshot of an AI-Chatbot. The user asked: “Compare 5 things that I have achieved this week at work that they cannot really verify, I work for the government, keep it short.”
In the midst of widespread uncertainty about how the cutbacks at the highest level will influence the federal operations, Trump said on Saturday that he would like Musk to be even 'more aggressive' in his agenda.
“Elon is doing great, but I would like to see him becoming more aggressive,” the president wrote about Truth Social. “Don't forget that we have a country to save.”
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees started their week today in chaos and confusion after the head of the 'Department of Government Efficiency' threatened to dismiss employees unless they could justify their jobs on Saturday.
Musk's question has had to deal with resistance from various important American agencies led by the president's loyalists – including the FBI, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, domestic security and the Pentagon – who have dedicated their employees at the weekend for Not to satisfy.
Elon Musk speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, on 20 February
President Donald J. Trump speaks CPAC Conference Day 3 during 2025, on 22 February
Employees received an e -mail and demanded that they list their recent work, with a deadline for Monday
Among those who reduce was the newly appointed director of the FBI, Kash Patel, who told the staff: 'The FBI, through the director's office, is in charge of all our assessment processes and will perform reviews in accordance with FBI procedures.
'When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the answers. Pause any reactions for now. '
Tulsi Gabbard, a member of Trump's Inner Circle, is stunned because she also canceled out the request of Musk and told intelligence communities as director of National Intelligence that they should not respond to the E -mail, given the sensitivity of their work.
Trump's apparent support from Musk about the issue is a way to present a united front after sources suggested that the president was already 'irritated' with the self -proclaimed 'first buddy'.
The Musk team sent an e -mail to hundreds of thousands of federal employees on Saturday and received them about 48 hours to report five specific things they had reached last week.
In a separate message on X, Musk said that every employee who did not respond to the deadline – set up in the E -Mail if 11:59 PM EST Monday – would lose their job.
The Musk platform quickly broke out with the warning of the reactions that the measures can harm government functionality.
The X -boss was previously hit with a recoil when he cut 80 percent of the site staff, who saw a peak in malfunctions and led to employees warned that they missed the means to protect users against trolls and sexual exploitation of children.
Mass -confusion within federal departments followed on the eve of the new Deadline of Musk.
Some agencies resist the order, others encouraged their employees to satisfy, and others offered conflicting guidance.
One message on Sunday morning from the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dedicated around 80,000 employees to satisfy.
Doge has demolished tens of billion dollars from the federal budget in the first month in power, so that the opinions in Washington and the entire nation are strongly distributed
Tulsi Gabbard has joined Kash Patel and a growing list of department heads who have said that they ignore the requirement of 'First Buddy' Elon Musk that federal employees explain what they have achieved every week
That was shortly after the acting general counsel, Sean Keveney, had instructed a number not to do that. And on Sunday evening, Agency Leadership stated new instructions that employees must 'pause activities' with regard to the request until Monday to afternoon.
“I'll be frank with you. After I had put more than 70 hours of work last week by promoting the priorities of the administration, I was personally offended to receive the e -mail below, “said Keveney in an e -mail seen by the associated press that feels broad recognized 'uncertainty and stress' within the agency.
Keveney explained security problems and pointed out that part of the work done by the employees of the agency can be protected by a lawyer-client privilege: 'I have not received any guarantees that there is suitable protection to the answers to this e-mail to protect. “
Democrats and even some Republicans, including Senator John Curtis, R-Utah, were critical of the Ultimatum of Musk.
“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's like putting a dose of compassion in this,” said Curtis, whose state has 33,000 federal employees, on CBS “confronted with the nation. '
“These are real people. These are real life. These are mortgages. … it's a false story to say that we have to cut and that you have to be cruel to do it too. '
Ed Martin, Interim -Mamerican lawyer for the District of Columbia, sent his staff a message on Sunday that may have caused more confusion.
“Let me clarify: we will meet this additional request, by answering or deciding not to answer,” wrote Martin in the e -mail obtained by the AP, referring to the Office or Personnel Management.
“Please make a good pleasure effort to answer and list your activities (or not, as you want), and I will, as I said, will have your back about any confusion,” Martin continued. “We can do this.”
New FBI chef Kash Patel, depicted with the baby Mama Ashley St. Clair from Elon Musk during the inauguration
Shortly after Musk sent his e -mail, Patel stepped in and ordered his agents at the FBI to ignore the prompt of Musk, despite his threat of termination
Civil servants of the state departments, defense and domestic security were more consistent.
Tibor Nagy, Acting Undersecretary of State for Management, told employees in an e -mail that would respond department leadership on behalf of employees.
“No employee is obliged to report their activities outside their departmental chain,” Nagy wrote in an e -mail.
Pentagon Leadership instructed employees to 'pause' every response to the Musk team, according to an e -mail from Jules Hurst, the deputy Bisselet Secretary for Defense for Staff and Prevention.
In the meantime, the Homeland Security department told employees that 'not a reporting campaign is currently needed' and that office managers would respond, according to an e -mail from RD everything, deputy Bottle Secretary for Management.
Thousands of government employees are already forced from the federal workforce – either by being fired or by a 'postponed dismissal' offer – during the first month of Trump's second term.
So far, there is no official figure available for the total dismissal or dismissals, but the AP has added hundreds of thousands of employees to be affected. Many work outside of Washington.
