Some Federal Agencies Push Back on Musk’s Data Demand

Several US federal agencies have instructed their employees not to comply with a request from Elon Musk, acting as an advisor to President Trump on government efficiency, to detail their accomplishments over the past week, Al Jazeera reports.

The directive follows an email sent to hundreds of thousands of federal employees by Musk’s team, giving them a tight 48-hour deadline to submit their reports or face potential termination, according to sources.

Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked with streamlining operations and reducing costs within the federal government. As part of its initiative, it has been laying off more than 20,000 workers and offered buyouts to another 75,000, across large segments of the United States government.

High-ranking officials within the FBI and State Department, both Trump appointees, reportedly sent emails to their staff advising them not to respond to the request outside of established chains of command.

“The FBI, through the office of the director, is in charge of all our review processes,” stated FBI Director Kash Patel in an email to staff.

Workers at other agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Education, Commerce, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Internal Revenue Service, have also received similar guidance.