On Saturday, staff all through the federal authorities received an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), demanding a reply with “approx. 5 bullets of what you completed final week.” On X, Elon Musk posted that failure to reply “might be taken as a resignation.” The consequence? Confusion, chaos, and resentment amongst a federal workforce that more and more feels under attack.
“So fucking dumb,” says one air visitors controller who obtained the e-mail and was granted anonymity for worry of retribution.
Leaders of many companies seem to have been caught off guard. On the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which homes the Nationwide Climate Service, some managers initially cautioned in opposition to replying to the e-mail in case it was a phishing try. One other NOAA worker says they had been cautioned to not log onto their work electronic mail after receiving it.
Different staff had been met with conflicting steerage from their managers. On the Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Know-how, which is anticipating deep cuts orchestrated by the so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), some staff reported being instructed to await additional steerage whereas others say their managers instructed individuals to conform.
The e-mail seems to have been despatched even to federal judges. “We perceive that some judges and judiciary workers have obtained an electronic mail from HR@opm.gov,” learn an electronic mail from the director’s workplace of the Division of Administrative Companies for US Federal Courts. “Please be suggested that this electronic mail didn’t originate from the Judiciary or the Administrative Workplace and we propose that no motion be taken.”
No less than some army personnel additionally obtained the e-mail, and have been instructed to await steerage from the Division of Protection. That holding sample seems to be the response at most companies, the place staff say they haven’t but heard from senior management if and the way they need to deal with this newest escalation in Musk and DOGE’s ongoing efforts to dramatically reduce the federal workforce. On the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, as an illustration, in an electronic mail with the topic line “Please Await Steerage,” some staff had been instructed that “info is forthcoming,” with none indication of when or from whom.
One other consideration for a lot of isn’t solely whether or not they need to reply, however how. Whereas the OPM electronic mail specified that staff mustn’t ship categorized info, hyperlinks, or attachments, that severely limits how staff at many authorities companies would possibly have the ability to reply.
“Nationwide safety workers are getting notified of OPM’s request, which is taking them from the essential work of making certain nationwide safety pursuits,” stated one supply, who was granted anonymity as a result of nature of their work. “These are important staff who preserve us secure.”
“The Government Committee is at the moment reviewing this request to find out acceptable tips concerning what info might be shared exterior of the company,” reads an electronic mail from the Workplace of the Comptroller of the Forex, which sits throughout the Treasury Division. “Please wait for added steerage.”
NBC Information reported Saturday that even Kash Patel, the newly installed Federal Bureau of Investigation director and shut ally of President Donald Trump, has instructed staff not to answer the OPM electronic mail.
