Can an email change the structure of a government? Elon Musk believes yes. On February 22, thousands of federal employees in the US received an unusual message: They had to detail at five points what they had done the previous week. And not responding would imply your automatic resignation. The sender (at least ideological) of this ultimatum was none other than Musk, now at the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) under the new administration of Donald Trump.
Since his arrival as an external government advisor, Musk has defended a drastic reduction of the bureaucratic apparatus, but his strategy has unleashed a whirlwind of reactions. From the FBI to public employee unionsmany voices warn about the chaos that this measure is generating.
An email that shakes public administration
The message, titled “What did you do last week?”he instructed employees to respond with five points about their recent tasks and copy their superiors. In addition, it specified that documents or links should not be attached. But the most controversial was Musk’s warning in X (formerly Twitter):
“Following the instructions of President @realdonaldtrump, all federal employees will receive an email to inform about their work. Not responding will be taken as a resignation.”
Musk’s declared intention is to eradicate the waste of public resources. According to him, There are officials who do not even check their email And, in some cases, he believes that “identities of deceased people are being used to collect salaries.” However, Musk has not presented evidence of these accusations.
Resistance within the Government: the FBI and other agencies challenge Musk
The impact of the email was immediate. In several key government agencies, managers asked their employees not to respond without a clear order. Among them, the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, appointed by Trump, who sent an internal instruction:
“The FBI, through the director’s office, is in charge of all our review processes and will be carried out according to our procedures,” says Reuters.
Other departments, such as State, Justice and Commerce, also urged their staff not to answer without consulting their superiors. Even the US intelligence community has given the same instruction.
This confrontation reveals a fracture within the Republican government itself. While some support the idea of greater efficiency, others see in the Musk initiative a precipitated and without legal basis.
Massive dismissals and fear among US officials
Mail is not an isolated case. Since he assumed the position at Doge, Musk has supervised the elimination of more than 20,000 jobs and has offered output incentives to others 75,000 employees. According to Reuters, some agencies have had to re -re -recruit key personnel due to hasty dismissals that affected critical areas, such as nuclear safety and public health.
In addition, there are employees who have been forced to accept a “deferred resignation” program, which allows them to continue on payroll a few months before being definitively fired. This uncertainty has created a climate of fear among the officials, as described by a worker of the Internal Tax Service (IRS): “I wonder when someone will say ‘Enough’,” he said.
The Federal Employee Union, the American Federation of Government EmployeesHe has announced that he will fight against any “illegal” dismissal derived from this process. Its president, Everett Kelley, strongly criticized Musk and Trump:
“It is cruel and lack of respect for hundreds of thousands of veterans who work in civil service. They are being forced to justify their employment against a billionaire disconnected from reality, which has never worked a single day in the public sector.”
A bigger problem: the US government and its astronomical debt
The backdrop of this conflict is the public debt of the United States, which has reached 36 billion dollars. There is consensus between Democrats and Republicans in which the administration needs reforms to be more efficient. However, the way Musk has implemented its measures has been crossed out of “chaotic and insensitive.”
Even within the Republican party there are criticism. Senator John Curtis, from Utah, supported the reduction of public spending, but warned that Musk should apply a more human approach:
“If I could tell Elon Musk something, it would be: ‘Please, put some compassion on this.’ These are real people, with mortgages and families, “he said.
The former New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, was harder and described the process as “a clown that will be defeated in court.”
Where does the Trump government go with Musk in command of efficiency?
What began as a promise to reduce public spending has become a battle between Musk and the American bureaucracy. His defenders argue that he is uncovering inefficiencies and corruption, while his detractors accuse him of executing an unprecedented purge.
The key question is: How far will it arrive in your crusade? Musk has made it clear that he has no intention of going back. Meanwhile, the Trump government is still mired in a storm of protests, uncertainty and internal disputes.
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