Top US agencies reject Elon Musk’s demand for employee reports, igniting a power struggle

Elon Musk’s aggressive plan to overhaul the US government has hit its first major roadblock—resistance from Trump’s own appointees. A chaotic weekend unfolded as top government agencies openly defied Musk’s order for all federal employees to submit weekly accomplishments or face termination.

The controversy erupted on Saturday when federal workers received an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the subject line: “What did you do last week?” The directive, reportedly issued under Musk’s authority, demanded employees list five weekly achievements and send them to a generic government email. The implication was clear: fail to comply, and you could be out.

However, by Sunday evening, the rebellion had begun. The FBI, Pentagon, State Department, Homeland Security, and Department of Energy all issued guidance telling employees not to respond to the email. Some agencies, like the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), initially instructed staff to comply—only to reverse course later in the day.

Musk, who has been given sweeping powers by Trump to “fix” Washington, reacted furiously to the pushback.

“EXTREMELY troubling that some parts of government think this is TOO MUCH!!” he ranted on X, the platform he owns. “What is wrong with them??”

While Musk pushed ahead, senior officials scrambled to regain control. Kash Patel, the newly sworn-in FBI director, was among the first to reject Musk’s move, instructing employees to ignore the OPM email until further notice.

Other agencies quickly followed. The Department of Defense (DoD) warned its workforce that the directive violated the chain of command, calling it “the silliest thing I’ve seen in 40 years.”

Despite the growing backlash, Trump showed no sign of retreat. Instead, he took to social media to mock federal employees, posting a SpongeBob SquarePants meme ridiculing their supposed inefficiency.

The meme listed five sarcastic “weekly accomplishments”:

• Cried about Trump
• Cried about Elon
• Made it into the office for once
• Read some emails
• Cried about Trump and Elon some more

The president’s trolling only deepened tensions, with government officials expressing private frustration over Musk’s unchecked power. His handpicked tech engineers have been embedding themselves within federal agencies, accessing databases, and demanding justification for thousands of federal jobs.

By Sunday night, even some Republicans were voicing concerns over Musk’s influence.

Senator John Curtis of Utah appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation with a veiled criticism of Trump and Musk’s approach.

“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it’s, ‘Please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are real lives,’” Curtis said. “It’s a false narrative to say we have to cut, and you have to be cruel to do it as well. We can do both.”

For now, the showdown continues. Federal employees remain caught in the middle, unsure whether their jobs depend on compliance with Musk’s demand—or loyalty to their agency heads defying it. Washington hasn’t seen a battle like this before.