Musk's "second chance" email sparks confusion in US government

A new directive from Elon Musk, warning federal employees that they will be given "a second chance" to respond to his email demanding they justify their roles or face termination, is set to create more confusion within US government agencies.

This comes after Musk initially requested federal workers to summarize their weekly accomplishments, threatening that a failure to respond would be deemed a resignation.

Read more: Petition calls to revoke Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship over ties to Trump

Musk’s warning followed a response from Trump administration officials, who initially informed federal employees that they were not required to reply to the email sent over the weekend.

Some agencies, including the US Treasury Department, instructed their workers to comply with the request, while others, like the Pentagon, took a different approach.

As the midnight deadline loomed on Monday, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) advised agencies that their workers could ignore Musk's email.

Despite the mixed messages, Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and the head of President Donald Trump’s initiative to downsize the federal government, remained resolute.

He issued a follow-up statement on X, his social media platform, declaring that those who failed to respond a second time would face termination, subject to the president's discretion.

Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance.

Failure to respond a second time will result in termination. https://t.co/04xzgScXfj

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2025

The White House declined to comment on Musk's remarks, raising further questions about his role and authority within the administration, according to Reuters. 

The situation has led to internal tensions within the government. Even after OPM advised federal employees not to share classified or sensitive information in response, several agencies continued to encourage their workers to reply to Musk’s email.

For example, the General Services Administration (GSA), which manages federal properties, urged employees to comply, even though it was technically voluntary.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) advised employees to keep their answers vague and avoid discussing specific projects or contracts if they chose to respond.

An internal email from HHS instructed workers to assume their responses could be accessed by foreign actors.

Musk’s initiative, led by his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has already resulted in the layoff of over 20,000 federal employees, with another 75,000 being offered buyouts.

With a federal workforce of approximately 2.3 million, these moves are expected to have a significant impact on government operations moving forward.