Musk doubles down on threat to fire federal workers

• Published On: 25 February 2025 at 18:30

Elon Musk, appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, has reiterated his threat to fire federal employees who fail to justify their positions.

This is despite the United States Office of Personnel Management advising that responding to Musk's directive is entirely voluntary.

Musk's directive sparked widespread confusion in the federal government, with agencies receiving conflicting messages about whether employees should comply.

Labour unions and legal experts have questioned Musk's actual authority to enforce such a directive, pointing out that federal employment decisions typically adhere to established legal and procedural frameworks.

As the deadline approached, Mr Musk appeared to admit that his plan had stalled.

"The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!" Mr Musk posted on X.

"Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers."

Musk added, "Subject to the president's discretion, they will be given another chance." Failure to respond a second time will lead to termination.

The White House did not immediately respond to Mr. Musk's remarks.

It was unclear whether Mr. Musk was aware of the guidance issued earlier on Monday by the US Office of Personnel Management, which informed federal agency HR officials that employees would not be fired for ignoring his email—and that they were not required to respond.