**[Seoul Newspaper Now News]**
**Elon Musk, Chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), AP Yonhap News.**
Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leading the high-intensity restructuring of Donald Trump’s second-term administration, recently notified the approximately 2.3 million federal employees to report their recent job performance, prompting open opposition from heads of government and security-related departments. These heads, all appointed by President Trump, suggest this clash is not being taken lightly.
The New York Times (NYT) and others reported on the 23rd (local time) that this confrontation serves as an important test to see how far the so-called “most influential” Musk, who is often regarded as a “co-president” in the Trump administration, can wield his power.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated through internal documents concerning Musk’s work performance report request email, “FBI personnel may have received emails from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requesting information, but the FBI will conduct an internal review according to its own procedures.” He added, “Please hold off on responding to the email at this time. We will adjust our response when additional information is requested.”
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard also told staff in an internal message, “Considering the sensitivity and confidentiality level of the work, employees working in intelligence agencies should not respond to emails from the Office of Personnel Management.”
In the case of the State Department, Tibor Nagy, acting undersecretary for management, stated, “No employee is required to report their activities outside of their chain of command,” adding that the State Department would respond directly.
Similarly, the Department of Defense, through the message from the acting personnel director, instructed employees not to respond to Musk’s email, stating, “The Department of Defense is responsible for evaluating employees’ work performance and will carry this out according to its own procedures.”
Patel and Gabbard, who opposed Musk’s directive, are known as “Trump loyalists” appointed by President Trump. Particularly, Gabbard, who holds several titles as the “youngest” and “first” in U.S. political history, officially endorsed Trump, then the Republican candidate, during last year’s U.S. presidential race. After Trump’s election win, she became an honorary co-chair of his transition team, demonstrating the trust she’s earned from Trump.
The internal directives issued by these individuals oppose Musk’s demands and challenge Musk, who has been granted extensive authority by President Trump, according to NYT analysis.
Musk’s policy has led to confusion in some agencies. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services advised its employees to comply with Musk’s instructions, but the National Institutes of Health, an agency under its authority, requested employees to hold off on responding until further instructions were given.
Some divisions within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have suggested using Musk’s email work performance report request as an opportunity to promote work like spacecraft launches, while other divisions have requested staff to await detailed instructions due to concerns about sending data in an unencrypted manner.
**Weekend Night Email Order for Last Week’s Work Performance Report**
Previously, on the 22nd, Musk wrote on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “Soon, following President Trump’s instructions, all federal employees will receive an email asking them to report what they did last week. If they don’t respond, it will be considered a resignation.”
Indeed, that Saturday night, an email titled “What Did You Do Last Week?” was sent to all federal employees through the Office of Personnel Management. It read, “Summarize the five things you did last week and respond by Monday (24th) at 11:59 PM.” However, there was no mention of resignation, as Musk had previously indicated.
Amid repeated protests from various departments during the ensuing confusion, Musk, as an incentive for cooperation, noted that his team had already received many good responses and stated that these employees should be considered as promotion candidates.
However, the controversy that erupted over the weekend did not easily subside. An anonymous Department of Defense official told CNN, “It’s the most foolish thing I’ve seen in 40 years. It completely undermines the command structure,” adding, “It may be possible elsewhere, but we do not do it this way at the Department of Defense.” Musk retorted, “Anyone in the Department of Defense with such an attitude should find a new job.”
This coercive attitude of Musk has also raised suspicions that the government is trying to make restructuring easier. Everett Kelley, chairman of the largest public sector union in the U.S., the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), sent a letter to the Office of Personnel Management, stating, “This email is clearly illegal and reckless,” and demanded that the action be immediately withdrawn. Furthermore, he criticized, saying, “By allowing unelected and irresponsible Musk to manipulate the operations of the Office of Personnel Management, there was a lack of integrity and respect for the work of federal employees.”
Criticism also arose from within the Republican Party. Mike Lawler, a Republican congressman from New York, expressed support for Musk’s budget-cutting efforts but stated regarding this directive, “I’m not sure if it’s really feasible.”
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska, also remarked on social media, “Our public sector workers deserve recognition and respect for performing often under-recognized tasks. However, the bizarre weekend email asking them to prove their existence was not a reasonable approach.”
**Musk Takes a Step Back from Weekend Work Report Directive**
Perhaps due to this criticism, Musk seemed to take a step back from his position. He commented on a relevant post by a supporting woman who suggested it seemed like an attempt to find out “who is part of the leftist resistance,” responding with, “It was to see if anyone has a pulse and two neurons firing.”
This indicated that the measure focused on seeing which federal employees responded and which ignored the emails, as pointed out by the British Daily Mail. Musk earlier that morning expressed dissatisfaction on X, saying, “Many people don’t read the email at all.”