The battle between Elon Musk and senior US government officials, including some in sensitive fields such as intelligence, defense, and diplomacy, has intensified, with Musk's order being countered by resistance from senior leaders.
Musk, leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), issued an ultimatum to federal employees to submit five bullet-point responses regarding their activities in the past week, promising termination for defiance.
The reaction has been predominantly rebellious from top agency officials such as the FBI, National Intelligence, Department of Defense, and the State Department, and also from personalities such as Kash Patel (FBI Director) and Tulsi Gabbard (National Intelligence Director). They believe that it will risk sensitive national security operations and investigations if they responded to Musk's request.
Patel issued a memo telling FBI personnel to disregard Musk's directive, claiming that review procedures would abide by regular FBI procedure. Gabbard similarly stated that the intelligence community work is "inherently sensitive and classified" and that sharing details could harm national security operations. Other organizations, such as Homeland Security, have done the same, ordering their personnel to ignore the order.
Though Musk's position is upheld by some, like acting federal prosecutor Ed Martin, his methodology has been in question. Some of his decisions, like wholesale dismissals across different agencies—involving recalling employees from the National Nuclear Safety Agency because of national security threats—have set alarm bells ringing. The Food and Drug Administration also had to recall scientists employed by Musk's Neuralink, adding to the complexity.
Musk's order, coupled with the support of former President Trump, who has been generally quiet on the matter except to back Musk, has produced an tense environment. But the resistance of top-ranking officials indicates a possible showdown regarding executive authority, national security, and the place of federal agencies in carrying out their responsibilities.
The case is ongoing, and unions are already contemplating suits to challenge en masse terminations. The courts will determine the destiny of these moves, as Trump's administration just gained a temporary stay after a judge overruled a restraining order on the dismissal of USAID staff.
