Chaos Erupts Across Government After Musk Prods on Job Tasks

Confusion roiled the executive branch this weekend after an email from the Office of Personnel Management demanded federal workers send in the details of their job tasks, leaving agencies scrambling and staff unsure about how to respond.

The missive, spurred by billionaire Elon Musk, became the latest in a series of sweeping administration moves to overhaul the federal bureaucracy that have sowed chaos across the government and spurred lawsuits.

“Once again, agencies were caught off guard by these emails,” the National Treasury Employees Union said in a message to its members obtained by Bloomberg Tax. The union advised its members not to immediately respond to the OPM email and follow guidance from their agency, according to a message seen by Bloomberg Tax.

Union officials representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers decried the OPM message. The Administrative Office of the US Courts advised federal judges and court employees to ignore it.

The Feb. 22 message “fails to identify any legal authority permitting OPM to demand the requested information,” Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a letter to the administration Sunday.

Several agencies urged their employees to be cautious in any replies. IRS Acting Commissioner Doug O’Donnell told workers the agency is consulting the Treasury Department and will provide more information Monday, according to a message obtained by Bloomberg Tax.

Musk posted on X that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

Range of Responses

At least five DOJ office leaders responded by telling staff not to answer the OPM message immediately. The Department of Health and Human Services initially told its staff it should reply, then updated its guidance to say workers should “pause” activities in answering the OPM email. The agency said it will provide additional guidance by noon Monday.

The Defense Department also told its staff to pause responses to OPM.

“The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures,” Darin S. Selnick, who is performing the duties of Defense under secretary for personnel and readiness, said in a statement. “When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM.”

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency officials told staff they were reviewing the OPM email as of Sunday. Those agencies handle confidential supervisory information from banks and other companies they oversee.

The Labor Department’s leadership did not provide any guidance as of Sunday, two agency employees who spoke on condition of anonymity said. Environmental Protection Agency employees told Bloomberg Law Sunday on condition of anonymity they hadn’t heard from their direct supervisors.

On Saturday the leadership of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 238–-the main union representing EPA staffers—told members they were “working to understand the implications and consequences” of the OPM email.

The Interior Department as of Sunday afternoon had not issued guidance to employees about how to respond to the OPM email, according to four employees who work for different agencies within the department who spoke on condition of anonymity.