Washington D.C., United States – Tensions arose on Sunday between some of President Donald Trump’s cabinet officials and Elon Musk, the billionaire working to streamline the federal government, regarding Musk’s directive for all federal employees to report their weekly accomplishments or face dismissal.

By Sunday evening, leaders at several key government agencies, including the Pentagon and the State Department, advised their staff not to respond to an email from the Office of Personnel Management asking for weekly accomplishments. Some supervisors initially instructed employees to comply with the request but later retracted their instructions, leading to confusion among workers.

The White House declined to comment on the conflicting directives from Musk and agency heads, causing uncertainty among the federal workforce.

Musk’s push for transparency faced criticism from some Republicans, with Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska calling the weekend email “absurd.” Despite the backlash, Musk remained steadfast in his approach and questioned the reluctance of some government officials to comply.

Agency heads scrambled to provide guidance to employees on how to handle the situation, with some instructing staff to hold off on responding to the email for the time being. The conflicting guidance further complicated the already tumultuous environment within the federal government.

This latest development highlighted the considerable influence Musk wields in reshaping government operations, with his team of young engineers making significant inroads in various agencies to streamline processes and evaluate staff performance.

Overall, the power dynamics between Musk, Trump, and federal agencies have raised concerns about the extent of Musk’s authority and the implications of his directives on the overall functioning of government departments.

As the situation unfolded, even some Republicans voiced reservations about the administration’s approach, urging for a more compassionate and thoughtful consideration of the impact of restructuring efforts on federal employees.

The ongoing saga underscores the challenges and complexities associated with efforts to overhaul government operations and the need for careful deliberation in implementing significant changes across federal agencies.