Musk’s 48-Hour Ultimatum to US Federal Workers

In a controversial move, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has issued a directive requiring all US federal workers to justify their job roles within 48 hours or face resignation. The legally questionable mandate follows former President Donald Trump’s call for Musk to take a more aggressive approach to government workforce reduction.

US Federal Workers Ordered to Justify Roles

Musk announced the directive via his social media platform X on Saturday, stating that all US federal government workers would receive an email requesting a summary of their work over the past week. Employees who fail to respond by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday may be considered as having resigned, according to Musk’s post.

Musk wrote:

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal workers will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week, Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation”

The message has already reached employees in multiple government agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the judiciary, and the Prison system.

The email, with a subject line “What did you do last week?”, instructs recipients to summarize their accomplishments in five bullet points but does not explicitly state that non-compliance will lead to job loss.

Mass Layoff Expected for US Federal Workers

Musk’s directive is a part of a border initiative under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This program is spearheaded by the Trump administration to drastically cut federal bureaucracy. The US government currently employs approximately 2.3 million workers, many of whom now face uncertainty over their positions.

Departments such as the Department of Defense, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and USAID have been targeted for major staff reductions. However, some agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, nearing complete dismantlement.

While Republican lawmakers have largely supported the cuts, citing cost-saving measures and reduced government inefficiency, Democrats have strongly opposed them. Critics argue that Musk has significant conflicts of interest, as many of the agencies facing cuts oversee regulations affecting his businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX.

US Federal Workers Union Pushes Back

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), one of the largest unions representing federal workers, has vowed to challenge what it sees as an unlawful and arbitrary mandate.

The Union stated in a post on X:

“AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country, it is cruel and disrespectful for federal employees to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life”

The directive has sent shockwaves through Washington, D.C., with legal experts questioning its validity and potential challenges likely to follow. As the deadline for federal workers to justify their roles approaches, the future of thousands of government workers hangs in the balance.