Elon Musk's deadline for federal workers to prove their worth over email or lose their jobs has passed, although the ramifications are still unclear.
The Trump administration appeared to backtrack on Musk's order, with the Office of Personnel Management telling government workers their participation was "voluntary."
However, hours before the midnight deadline Musk declared for a second time that failure to respond to his email would lead to termination.
Several federal agencies, including newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel, instructed their employees to disregard Musk's demand.
Musk will attend Trump's first Cabinet meeting Wednesday, along with several agency heads that told their employees to ignore the order.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Musk's email, saying that more than 1 million people had chosen to respond to "this very simple task."
However, she said the agency heads would ultimately decide what's best for their employees.
"The agency heads will determine the best practices for their employees at their specific agencies," Leavitt said.
Republican senators are fed up, expressing frustration both with Musk's chaotic process and his lack of empathy for government workers.
A sampling:
"I think that any process you undergo where you're trying to find efficiencies, if that involves reductions in force, it needs to be done in a respectful way, obviously respectful of the people involved," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).
"I don't think it was handled very well in terms of the surprise element of it or what the point of it was," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
Here's the latest on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE):
• More than 20 staffers in an office overtaken by DOGE have resigned.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs fired another 1,400 employees, adding to the more than 1,000 workers who were axed earlier this month.
• The bank accounts of nonprofits administering a $20 billion climate program have been frozen as the Trump administration scrutinizes the program.
• The Office of the Special Counsel determined that six probationary employees were improperly terminated and asked an employment body to intervene. That move could impact thousands of recently fired employees.
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