Musk Warns Federal Employees About Potential Administrative Leave for Continuing to Work from Home
One of the various executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office mandated that federal workers return to the office.
TroibNews 
Elon Musk issued a warning on Monday that government employees who have not yet returned to the office full time will face administrative leave, marking a new phase in his efforts to reform the federal bureaucracy, which began during the Trump administration.
Musk's warning comes in the wake of an executive order from President Donald Trump last month that ended the broad permissiveness of remote work and mandated the return of federal employees to their offices.
“Those who ignored President Trump’s executive order to return to work have now received over a month’s warning,” Musk stated on X, responding to a Fox News clip featuring Rep. Ralph Norman. “Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave.”
This push for federal workers to physically return to work was among the initial executive orders signed by Trump. The directive requires department heads to “as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis.”
By declaring that employees will be placed on leave starting this week, Musk, who is effectively leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, is positioning himself between workers and their traditional hierarchical structures.
Over the weekend, Musk’s team sparked confusion across various agencies by sending an email asking employees “What did you do last week?” and requesting five bullet points detailing their accomplishments. This provoked a power struggle, with Trump loyalists in different departments advising their staff not to respond.
FBI Director Kash Patel directed agency personnel to “please pause any responses,” while a State Department communication clarified that “no employee is obligated to report their activities outside of their Department chain of command.”
These directives contradicted Musk's position, who indicated that a lack of response would be “taken as a resignation.”
Despite the resistance from various agencies, many Republican lawmakers voiced their support for Musk's email initiative.
“I don’t think this is a request that is that difficult,” remarked Sen. John Curtis on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning, while also suggesting “a little compassion and, quite frankly, dignity, in this as well.”
Musk has already made significant inroads into the federal government's operations, as thousands of government employees are being placed on leave or terminated, though some initiatives are currently facing legal challenges. On Friday, officials from the Trump administration informed PMG that the rapid pace of these changes might decelerate due to backlash regarding their speed and extent.
Trump himself has continued to endorse Musk’s actions, indicating over the weekend that he hopes Musk will intensify his efforts.
“ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE,” he posted on Truth Social. “REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA!”
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
Musk's warning comes in the wake of an executive order from President Donald Trump last month that ended the broad permissiveness of remote work and mandated the return of federal employees to their offices.
“Those who ignored President Trump’s executive order to return to work have now received over a month’s warning,” Musk stated on X, responding to a Fox News clip featuring Rep. Ralph Norman. “Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave.”
This push for federal workers to physically return to work was among the initial executive orders signed by Trump. The directive requires department heads to “as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis.”
By declaring that employees will be placed on leave starting this week, Musk, who is effectively leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, is positioning himself between workers and their traditional hierarchical structures.
Over the weekend, Musk’s team sparked confusion across various agencies by sending an email asking employees “What did you do last week?” and requesting five bullet points detailing their accomplishments. This provoked a power struggle, with Trump loyalists in different departments advising their staff not to respond.
FBI Director Kash Patel directed agency personnel to “please pause any responses,” while a State Department communication clarified that “no employee is obligated to report their activities outside of their Department chain of command.”
These directives contradicted Musk's position, who indicated that a lack of response would be “taken as a resignation.”
Despite the resistance from various agencies, many Republican lawmakers voiced their support for Musk's email initiative.
“I don’t think this is a request that is that difficult,” remarked Sen. John Curtis on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning, while also suggesting “a little compassion and, quite frankly, dignity, in this as well.”
Musk has already made significant inroads into the federal government's operations, as thousands of government employees are being placed on leave or terminated, though some initiatives are currently facing legal challenges. On Friday, officials from the Trump administration informed PMG that the rapid pace of these changes might decelerate due to backlash regarding their speed and extent.
Trump himself has continued to endorse Musk’s actions, indicating over the weekend that he hopes Musk will intensify his efforts.
“ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE,” he posted on Truth Social. “REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA!”
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
