Several federal agencies appeared caught off guard by an email sent on Saturday from the Office of Personnel Management, directed by Elon Musk, which asked employees to report their weekly accomplishments.
Leaders in various agencies have begun advising staff to hold off on responding, with some even recommending that they wait for further guidance, according to multiple sources.
The agencies impacted include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Energy.
The Pentagon has advised its civilian employees to wait for legal guidance before responding.
Similarly, several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have instructed their staff to hold off on replying to the OPM email for the time being.
Cary also recommended that employees avoid submitting any information until late Monday, in case new instructions are provided.
Sources indicate that FEMA employees have also been advised to postpone their responses.
At the IRS, the acting commissioner informed staff that officials are awaiting guidance from the Treasury Department on the issue but did not give clear instructions on whether employees should respond.
Employees have begun receiving an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as reported by News. The email indicates that the Department of Treasury has been contacted for additional guidance, with more information expected to be shared on Monday.
Several employees from the CDC informed News that they are still looking for direction from their agency’s leadership on how to move forward. One employee noted that their manager advised them to wait until Monday for more clarity on the situation.
Similarly, employees at the Department of Energy received a message from their supervisors stating that they are also awaiting further instructions.
The OPM email, titled “What did you do last week,” requests employees to provide a brief summary of about five accomplishments from the previous week, with a submission deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
The email came after Musk’s post on X, which indicated that a lack of response from federal employees would be treated as a voluntary resignation.
At the end of last month, another email—entitled “Fork in the Road”—was sent to nearly all federal employees, offering them the option of a “deferred resignation,” which would enable them to leave their positions while still receiving a pay check until September.
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