President Donald Trump endorsed Elon Musk's effort to push accountability on federal workers on Monday, but consequences for refusing the effort remain unclear. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The FBI and Department of Defense, led by Trump allies Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth, also instructed their employees not to respond, citing the confidential nature of their work.
"When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses," Patel wrote to FBI employees.
TRUMP RATTLES OFF ‘FLAGRANT SCAMS’ UNCOVERED BY DOGE, TAKES AIM AT FORT KNOX IN CPAC SPEECH
Trump argued there was no rift in his administration despite the conflicting orders, however.
"They don’t mean that in any way combatively with Elon," he told reporters late last week. "Everyone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea."
A group of federal workers sued over an OPM request to provide a list of their weekly accomplishments. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is in the midst of auditing various federal agencies in search of wasteful spending, corruption and mismanagement.
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DOGE’s work comes as President Donald Trump ordered the federal workforce to return to the office after five years of remote work stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, and has vowed to clean house of bad actors within the government and ax overspending.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/deadline-musks-ultimatum-federal-workers-hits-consequences-remain-vague