This is reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters. According to Kontrakty.UA,
In an electronic message from Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), there was a directive for each of the 2.3 million U.S. government employees to provide a summary of their work in 5 points by 23:59 EST (04:59 GMT).
An entrepreneur close to U.S. President Donald Trump and an official in his campaign to reduce the federal government warned that employees who failed to provide a detailed response could lose their jobs.
However, Western media note that as the deadline approached, Musk seemed to acknowledge that his plan was failing.
"The email request was absolutely trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type a few words and hit the 'Send!' button," Musk wrote on the social media platform Twitter (X), which he owns.
He added that "however, far too many people failed" this test, which "in some cases their managers insisted on."
According to internal emails from the U.S. Department of Justice reviewed by Reuters, the Human Resources Office informed employees in federal agencies on Monday that staff would not be fired for not responding to Musk's email.
The Agency also stated that staff were not required to respond to it, and that participation was purely voluntary. The Office urged employees not to share confidential, sensitive, or classified information in their responses.
As noted by Reuters, the cancellation of Musk's directive by some agency leaders "was the first sign of internal resistance to his abrupt approach to reducing the federal government."
Western media also report that Musk's reduction initiative has affected the broader U.S. economy, forcing companies that do business with the government to lay off their own employees and delay payments to suppliers.
Recall that earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Elon Musk to be more aggressive in cutting the federal government.
It was also reported that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Musk has already laid off tens of thousands of government employees.
Additionally, on February 23, it became known that Trump threatened federal employees with layoffs due to remote work.