Kash Patel 'pushes back' against Elon Musk's diktat to federal employees

Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration, asked all federal employees to justify their work or lose their jobs

Newly-appointed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel has reportedly pushed back against Elon Musk's "justify-your-job" diktat to US federal employees, asking them to "pause any responses" to the billionaire's email ultimatum.

 

Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration, asked all US federal employees to justify their work or lose their jobs. According to an AFP report, Musk asked the employees to submit "approximately 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week." The billionaire's diktat came hours after Trump pushed him to be "more aggressive" in slashing government spending. 

 

However, several federal employees said they were advised by their agencies not to respond to Musk's email, according to an AFP report. An internal memo accessed by NBC revealed that Kash Patel has asked FBI employees to pause their responses.

 

 

"FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses," Patel told his staff in an email, according to an NBC report.

 

Elon Musk's war against 'inefficiency'

 

As the head of DOGE, Elon Musk has undertaken aggressive measures to reduce the federal workforce and restructure government operations. His stated objective is to eliminate waste and inefficiency within federal agencies.

 

Notably, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) experienced a drastic reduction, with thousands of employees placed on administrative leave, effectively reducing its workforce to fewer than 300 staff members. Similar cuts have occurred in other departments, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).