Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
The United States is on the verge of a large-scale personnel crisis following the announcement by Elon Musk, who was appointed by Donald Trump to head the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE). Musk threatened to fire civil servants who failed to explain their job responsibilities in writing. Despite official assurances that it was not necessary to respond to the request, the situation caused panic among government officials, Reuters and the BBC reported.
“If they don’t explain, they will be fired”
Musk sent an email to thousands of government employees demanding a brief description of their activities. However, even after the White House stated that responding to the letter was voluntary, Musk insisted that those who did not provide a second report would be fired.
“The request was simple – you just had to write a few words and hit the send button. But some people couldn’t even do that, and in some cases, their managers forbade them to do so,” Musk said on X (Twitter).
“They drive us crazy”
Although the government has officially stated that there will be no layoffs, many federal agencies have sent out conflicting instructions. Some urged employees to ignore the letter, while others advised them to respond. Employees admit that they do not know what to do.
“It’s a real chaos. They are driving us crazy,” an anonymous Health Ministry official told the BBC.
Some agencies even urged employees to refrain from disclosing confidential information in their answers. “Assume that your answers could fall into the hands of foreign spies,” an internal document said.
Conflicting reactions of the White House and trade unions
President Trump openly supported Musk’s initiative. “It was brilliant. We need to know who is really working and who is just sitting on public money,” he said.
However, civil servants’ unions have already gone to court to declare Musk’s order illegal. “Mass layoffs could destroy key government agencies, including those dealing with security and the economy,” the unions’ lawyers said in their appeal.
Currently, DOGE continues to send out reminders, and the government is trying to resolve the situation. However, experts fear that this scandal could lead to a deep political crisis that will affect the entire US government system.
