Federal agencies descended into chaos Saturday after OPM sent an email demanding employees list their weekly accomplishments, with Elon Musk declaring on X that non-respondents would be considered resigned.

"Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump's instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."

Agency heads are split on how to handle the directive. FBI Director Kash Patel instructed staff to ignore it entirely, while others await guidance. The National Weather Service initially treated it as a potential phishing attempt. Even federal judges received the demand, despite judiciary independence.

The email mirrors Musk's previous "Fork in the Road" tactics at Twitter, but faces significant hurdles in the federal space. Civil service protections, union contracts, and classification requirements make arbitrary terminations nearly impossible. The White House's own court filings state Musk has "no actual or formal authority to make government decisions."

This latest DOGE initiative highlights growing tension between Trump-appointed officials and Musk's aggressive attempts to reshape federal employment. With conflicting guidance across departments and questions about legal authority, this appears to be Musk's first major overreach in his government "optimization" efforts.

For federal employees caught in the middle, the smart move seems to be waiting for formal guidance through proper channels rather than rushing to respond to an email of questionable legitimacy and authority.

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