Government employees are scrambling after Elon Musk, charged with slashing the federal budget, ordered some workers to justify their roles while others were told to ignore his directive. The conflicting orders have deepened uncertainty across agencies, intensifying chaos amid sweeping layoffs and Trump administration turmoil, further destabilizing civil service rapidly.
The already-uncertain situation for U.S. government employees is about to get much more dicey on Monday, when a number of them will have to defend their positions to Elon Musk, the chainsaw-wielding billionaire responsible for cutting the federal budget, Reuters reports.
Musk’s deadline for government employees to turn in a job summary is 11:59 p.m. A rift has sprung up in Trump’s administration at eastern time.
Employees have been instructed to cooperate by agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Defense, Homeland Security, Education, Commerce, and Energy are just a few of the many government agencies that have instructed their employees not to reply.
While the HHS was trying to figure out how to best comply with Musk’s peculiar order, it first told its employees to cooperate and then told them to wait.
Though they have already been ordered to quit working, employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also received Musk’s email.
On Monday morning, Musk posted to his social media network X, warning federal workers to comply: “Those who do not take this email seriously will soon be furthering their career elsewhere.”
In an additional post, he said that federal employees who have yet to go to their desks since last month’s executive order would be put on administrative leave beginning this week.
From bank regulators to park rangers, and across the vast majority of the 2.3 million strong civil service, the world’s wealthiest man, Elon Musk, has spearheaded a reduction in force that has resulted in the layoff of over 20,000 employees and the offer of buyouts to an additional 75,000.
Critical government services, such as nuclear weapons monitoring and avian flu response, have been rehired in some instances. There was a flood of litigation, notably from labor organizations, in response to the layoffs.
Near the end of Sunday, the Trump administration announced that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will be laying off 1,600 employees and putting the rest on leave. The worldwide humanitarian aid efforts have been thrown into disarray as a result of Trump’s decision to cut off nearly all financing and operations to the agency.
People who were relying on their jobs for financial stability are now facing financial insecurity due to the widespread firings.
A former IRS agent in New York named Charles Farinella was attempting to determine whether he should postpone a dental visit as he has not yet received word regarding the status of his employer-provided health insurance.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do at this point in time. I might have to look to sell my house, because I don’t have a severance or anything,” he added. “I feel pretty much devastated.”
Companies who do business with the government have been forced to lay off their own workers and withhold payments to vendors as a result of Musk’s job-slashing drive, which has ripple effects throughout the wider U.S. economy. In a court filing this week, Chemonics—a USAID partner—announced the furlough of 750 workers, or 63% of its workforce.
Musk has taken great pleasure in the mayhem, going so far as to brandish a chainsaw at a recent conservative political gathering.
In an effort to reduce the government’s $6.7 trillion budget, the chief executive officer of Tesla has stated his intention to eliminate $1 trillion. Nearly half of the budget is effectively off-limits due to Trump’s pledge to exempt popular health and retirement benefits; however, Musk has stated that he will investigate these programs for possible fraudulent payments.
“We are increasingly optimistic that, as the immense waste & fraud are eliminated from Social Security & Medical that there is potential to increase actual dollars received by citizens & better healthcare!” he wrote on Sunday on X.
Watchdog group the Government Accountability Office has calculated that waste, fraud, and abuse in government expenditures might amount to as much as $521 billion per year, or 8% of expenditure in 2017.
Democrats in opposition have been unable to halt the budget-cutting initiative despite their claims that it goes against Congress’s jurisdiction to regulate federal spending.
The plan has received support from Republicans in Congress, who are now working on comprehensive legislation to cut taxes by trillions of dollars. However, Republican lawmakers have been booed by constituents who believe Musk is abusing his position of power.
Luis Gochoco is a seasoned managing editor and writer with over a decade of experience covering politics, technology, gaming, and entertainment news. With a keen eye for breaking stories and in-depth analysis, he has established himself as a trusted voice in digital journalism. Luis is one of the key forces behind the success of GameNGuide, contributing to 12 million views through engaging and high-traffic content. He also played a pivotal role in generating 8 million views on International Business Times, shaping the platform’s technology and gaming coverage.
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