Key federal agencies refuse to comply with Musk's latest demand in his cost-cutting crusade

Elon Musk, left, receives a chainsaw from Argentina's President Javier Milei as they arrive at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Zain Jaafar / AFP via Getty Images

This story was updated on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at 6:38 p.m.

Key U.S. agencies, including the FBI, State Department and the Pentagon, have instructed their employees not to comply with cost-cutting chief Elon Musk’s latest demand that federal workers explain what they accomplished last week — or risk losing their job.

The pushback from appointees of President Donald Trump marked a new level of chaos and confusion within the beleaguered federal workforce, just a month after Trump returned to the White House and quickly began fulfilling campaign promises to shrink the government.