What started as a bold move by Elon Musk to monitor federal employee productivity has quickly turned into a logistical nightmare.
His directive requiring all federal workers to submit a weekly list of accomplishments has hit an unexpected snag—overflowing email inboxes.
A Plan Gone Wrong
Federal employees from multiple agencies, including the IRS, Social Security Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services, attempted to comply with Musk’s order, only to find their emails bouncing back.
According to reports from ABC News, the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) inbox was completely full, rejecting any new submissions.
Instead of their reports being received, employees got an automated response: “The recipient’s mailbox is full and can’t accept messages now.
Please try resending your message later or contact the recipient directly.”
Agencies Scramble for Solutions
With the primary reporting system down, some federal departments scrambled to provide alternative email addresses for their employees.
For example, the Department of Health and Human Services sent out a notice instructing workers to reroute their submissions to a backup email and copy their supervisors.
Meanwhile, at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Chief Operating Officer Ken Johnson reassured employees that if their reports bounced back, there was nothing further to do—just keep a copy for their records.
A Directive Met With Resistance
Musk introduced this weekly reporting requirement in late February as part of his broader effort to streamline and downsize the federal government.
Employees were instructed to submit around five bullet points summarizing their work each week, with a strict Monday night deadline.
The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX even took to social media platform X to warn that failure to comply would be “taken as resignation.”
However, his directive was met with widespread pushback.
Some employees called it a form of harassment, arguing that it created a hostile work environment.
High-Profile Officials Reject the Order
Resistance wasn’t limited to rank-and-file employees.
High-ranking officials—including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel—told their staff not to comply. Gabbard cited security concerns, stating that intelligence community employees should not be sending reports through external emails.
Patel reinforced that the FBI has its own internal review process and would handle assessments independently.
Other top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Department of Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem, also dismissed the directive, instructing their teams to ignore Musk’s request.
Musk Downplays the Backlash
Despite the controversy, Musk tried to brush off the complaints, arguing that such reporting requirements are commonplace in the private sector.
However, compliance numbers tell a different story.
Bloomberg reported that in the first week of the mandate, fewer than half of federal employees—just over one million—actually submitted their reports.
In the weeks since, enforcement has reportedly weakened.
Some employees have even started mocking the process, with one telling ABC News that workers are submitting joke reports featuring references to DOGE (a nod to Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, Dogecoin).
“I don’t think anyone is reading these,” the employee quipped.
Trump Intervenes
The situation escalated to the point where President Trump had to step in earlier this month, clarifying that Musk does not have the authority to fire federal employees—only to make recommendations to agency heads.
In a Cabinet meeting, Trump urged his officials to be more strategic about staff reductions, moving away from Musk’s aggressive approach.
“Instead of using a hatchet, we need a scalpel,” Trump advised, emphasizing precision over mass layoffs.
In what appeared to be a further effort to curb Musk’s influence, Trump suggested that the billionaire’s government role might be winding down.
“Over the next two or three months, we’ll be pretty much satisfied with the people who are working hard and committed to the administration,” he stated.
With enforcement faltering and federal officials pushing back, Musk’s plan to overhaul the federal workforce seems to be losing steam.
Whether he will double down on his efforts or quietly step back remains to be seen.