Elon Musk on Saturday threatened federal workers in Wyoming and nationwide with losing their jobs in a social post that one U.S. Forest Service employee said was an effort “to psychologically break us.”
An email reviewed by WyoFile labeled “HR” from an Office of Personnel Management “.gov” address and sent Saturday, instructed federal workers to list in bullet-point format five things they accomplished last week. The deadline for responding is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Monday.
Musk followed up with a post on X that said “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Workers in the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service in Wyoming and across the country received the emails, according to the employee and widespread news reports.
“Nobody knows what this means,” the employee said. “People are waiting to hear from leadership on what we should do.”
WyoFile found the employee’s fear of retribution credible and agreed not to publish their name. “It feels like saying anything is a reason to be fired,” the person said.
Meantime, Wyoming’s U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman on Saturday endorsed Musk’s federal employee purge directed by President Trump. She is “ecstatic” that Trump is eradicating waste, fraud and abuse, she said in an address to Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland. Democrats and environmentalists “know nothing about the environment, climate, resource management,” she said.
Musk’s latest demand is causing “unnecessary chaos,” said Phil Francis, chairman of the Executive Council of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. The email displays “a fundamental lack of understanding of how the federal government works, and a vast ignorance of personnel practices.”
The email is “so ridiculous it’s hard to formulate a response,” Francis wrote in a statement. It’s uncertain what legal weight the email carries. One law professor told the Washington Post such forced resignations are illegal.
Wonder how the elected scum in Wyoming, at all levels of guvamint, would feel if voters made the same demands of them…
This whole bundle of nonsense being implemented by King Donald and his “trusty” South African sidekick is pathetic, about what would be expected of wannabe rulers of an authoritarian state. Deport Musk!
Should be an easy thing to complete – reporting to HR/CEO what you accomplished last week. Don’t you journalists have to be accountable for doing your jobs, and maybe even get more recognition for your magnanimous headlines? Much ado about nothing except to those people that can’t easily identify how they earned their pay last week.
What’s the big deal. Everyone else out here has to show production or document what you accomplished during the day/week. What’s really the big deal?
I have read many of the comments. I see no problem in giving a weekly roundup of your work. I feel many of the government employees have been hired to move forward with an agenda approved by the far left and The sky is falling Climate Change Horde. We do need environmentalist in our mix, but they need to be reasonable. We can drill for oil and gas and do it safely. Wyoming Coal should be sold overseas as well domestic in far greater amounts. Electric vehicles here in Wyoming is not the answer and the federal government should not be forcing us to purchase one. We should not be forced to pay for the idiots on the west cost, whose refusal to use cheaper and clean coal and/or Natural Gas produced electricity that raises the cost to us in Wyoming. Many of the actions taken by the left have harmed us in Wyoming. Accountability in any job is a good thing. Many in the Federal government lately were hired for other reasons than being the best qualified. I admit many BLM workers that I have delt with are very good responsible people. Under the Obama years, where he tore down the Coal Industry in Wyoming, many of the BLM employees welcomed President Trumps first 4 years and I bet many are happy he is back. Those people will have no problem filling out a weekly report I will bet. They are not working from home in their PJ’s. It is a good thing to weed out the deadwood in the federal government, as it is in the forest to prevent forest fires to save the forest. Hopefully a leaner and meaner federal government will come out of DOGE review. I hope we will end up with People that are hired because of their merits and not the array of other reasons that are more important to the left than being the most qualified.
Well, Hageman certainly is showing herself to the a “handmaiden” for the dictator. That Democrats and environmentalists know nothing about environment, climate or resource management. Okay, lets hear her give us her opinion about those subjects, I doubt she know either. She needs to be voted out!
I can’t help but wonder if we have a fire season like this past one what will happen. The Elk fire on the east side of the Big Horns consumed 100,000 acres. This does not include the 400,000 or so acres burned in north central Wyoming and southern Montana. Through the efforts of the local, State, and Federal governments, in addition to volunteers there were about 1000 workers supervised by a Federal Government fire boss, 15 or so aircraft fighting the Elk fire. I watched retardant being dropped in people’s front yards at the base of the mountain. Pretty impressive. I’m sure the homeowners aren’t on the hook to pay for saving their homes. Hopefully all that organization won’t be caste aside but at the current rate but who knows. Trump thinks that all you have to do is go out and rake the forest, problem solved.
This is not the way to do things
Civil Engineer working on a specific dam repair:
Calculated cubic yards of gravel required, and the required equipment and labor to move gravel.
That’s it for the week.
Questions 1 Who will grade that engineer’s production? 2 Will any of the pimple faced techies working for Musk have a clue as to what the work assignment is for that person? 3 If Musk fires the engineer is this improving government efficiency?
4 Who will continue the design work now vacated because of DOGE? 5 Is there any evidence that this helter shelter train wreck is organized, follows a set plan to actually improve efficiency? The federal government is a huge machine, complicated, interdependent for basic functions, spread across a number of vital areas that have direct impacts on the national well being. Turning loose a bull in a China shop with little plan, zero experience in government, no public communication, and creating fear and chaos is deeply stupid.
I had to write a daily report on what I accomplished in the private sector. What’s the big deal?
Government works like the military and everything is supposed to go through chain of command. This request came from an unverified, external email and broke chain of command. The proper way to gather reports like this is via established data calls. There are proper protocols for this and they’re breaching those protocols. As a result, national security is at stake.
Oh come on – when the CEO/President of the United States wants information, you don’t lecture him about chain of command – he’s at the top. Do your job, write the email, go do your job this week. It’s been widely reported that the email came from “HR” and you’re supposed to cc your manager. Get it done.
I guess I do not see what the big deal is, I have to write a daily report on what gets done. Shouldn’t be to hard. Forest and Grassland management has deteriorated for years thanks to thousands of law suits from environmental groups and ridiculous policies like the standing dead. Having a forest full of match sticks just waiting to be lit has proven to be devastating. Having leadership at the heads of agencies like the USDA that are climate activist rather than being truly interested in proper management practices. Causing the closure of all but the biggest saw mills in the country so we have to import Canadian lumber, but yet cutting down half the forest in eastern states to make pellets to send to the EU for supposed green power plants. The very long list of stupidity to come from the USDA, BLM, EPA, etc., over the last 30 years is almost unfathomable. All in the name of climate change. Yet its a good idea to cover thousands of acres of pristine wilderness with solar panels. Amazing…
Agree – I submitted comments about the problems in the Black Hills National Forest last week and since then several com mentors have likewise commented about their concerns with forest management in other forests and nation wide. We need a complete overhaul of the USFS – however, it needs to be done by congress after careful deliberation and not by Elon Musk wielding a chainsaw.
Very well said Richard
Working for Public Health throughout Wyoming, we have to complete a computer log verifying what we do every 15 minutes throughout the work week so it can be audited and paid out of the appropriated funds. Having to type five bullet statements of what a federal employee has accomplished in a week should be easy.
Government works like the military and everything is supposed to go through chain of command. This request came from an unverified, external email and broke chain of command. The proper way to gather reports like this is via established data calls. There are proper protocols for this and they’re breaching them.
Hageman’s comment that Democrats and environmentalists “know nothing about the environment, climate, resource management” has to be one of the dumbest (but not “the” because there’s been so many!) things she’s ever said. It’s obvious she has no clue how government works. Democrats and Republicans don’t hire 99% of government employees. They are hired by people with experience and educated in the field they work in. They don’t hire based on political party (though the Republicans plan to change that).
This whole process is dangerous, reckless, unprofessional, retaliatory and just mean. They are firing for firing sake with no regard to actually looking for fraud, waste or abuse. Everyone agrees the government can be trimmed and savings made, but this isn’t the way to do it. The only people that are going to benefit are people and companies that will no longer have to be held accountable for following the laws, regulation etc that protect the environment, tax payers, and consumers.
We have a Republican Congress that has given all their power to the President, eliminating one of the checks and balances our founding fathers put in place and are trying to eliminate the judiciary branch also. I truly don’t know if the Republicans are really that afraid of Trump & MAGA cult that they won’t stand up to him or if they are that power hungry and want to be in position to get their piece of the pie when America falls apart…
Well said, Riki. I completely agree.
Well said. We need to get to the polling place and vote these do nothings but bad, out.
It’s hard to out-dumb Hageman, but the MAGA crowd seems to always find someone who can. They are highly suspicious of things like education, intelligence, and expertise.
If you have any doubt FS employees are doing their job, come to SE Wyoming and see the destruction they have done to our national forest by their lack of management!
I think you’re confusing Forrest Service Employees with pine bark beetles. One of those is an underpaid federal employee and the other is a hungry insect helped on by climate change.
Democrats and environmentalists “know nothing about the environment, climate, resource management,” Hageman said (while praising the president responsible for firing of citizens of her own state). Every federal job has a clear job description and requirements, regular reviews of those who fill each position, with corrective actions taken if they fail to perform. Our federal representatives also are subject to reviews and corrective measures, by elections. It’s time to rid ourselves of this ideologically driven, lousy excuse for our representative who is thrilled to support cuts that will so badly damage our state and nation.
No one elected musk and he has zero legal power. He and the loser dt know nothing about what a hard day’s work entails or how much education and experience are required. I hope these employees resist and ignore this latest command as it will likely end up in litigation as many of the illegal measures they’ve tried to implement already have.
1. Responded to this inane email.
2. Cleaned up your chaos infused mess.
3. Did not spend weekend jazzing on ketamine
4. Did someone else’s job because you fired them.
5. Finally got around to doing the work I am actually paid for.
Truth be told. Well said 😂
You Trump voters must be proud. President muskrat has taken over the country. The orange menace isn’t intelligent enough to run the country. Even your ‘reps’ have knifed you in the back. The state legislature is just as bad, as they try to control your women under the guise of the fake christians.
All of us with jobs know there are many systems of work plans and accountability and federal jobs are no different. This is not meant to ensure productivity and efficiency of government employees, but rather intimidate and humiliate them. We are better than this, America. I was thinking of my dad, a former dish washer in the kitchen of Sheridan’s VA, and his reply to this email would have been 1) washed dishes; 2) washed dishes; 3) washed dishes; 4) washed dishes; and 5) washed dishes. Would that have been enough? Every job is part of the system and was created for a reason. Seriously, Musk, leave the reform & cost-cutting recommendations to the professionals at the GAO.
“…..leave the reform & cost-cutting recommendations to the professionals at the GAO.”
Therein lies the problem. The so called professionals at GAO have failed – miserably – to rein in this behemoth government. Federal gov’t spending is not sustainable. Either we can tackle the debt issue ourselves – which will not be easy – or you can wait until the US can no longer service it’s debt and China can tell you what to do.
Those in the private sector document what we do daily, weekly. It is standard operating procedure – and how most businesses get paid.
The manner of these draconian cuts is disgusting as is Hageman’s celebration of Musk & Trump’s thoughtless rampage. Shameful. I expect better.
Trump’s far right regime,is tearing down our government institutions that protect our environment,our civil rights,our freedoms,American’s need to wake up and realize that the government workers being fired are the ones that protect America and it’s citizens.Wake up people,Trump and his administration are threatening our long time allys.cozying up to Putin,Russia.stealing our private information.If we do not stand up and protect what’s important to us,we will lose everything.
All employees should stand together and not make any reply!!
Spiraling out of control. i remember several occasions when the French president tried to cut back on the size of government – the French labor unions representing the government employees put a million people in the streets and shut every thing down. Could it happen here, What if most of the federal employees walked out and shut everything down??? In previous articles several commentators mentioned Clinton/Gore reducing spending and reducing the number of federal employees. They did it slowly with coordination with congress and most employees were fit into other positions. However, brandishing a chainsaw at the recent CPAC was extremely troubling and following that up with this email really makes me wonder. And Trump took over the USPS without a plan to reorganize it. And he stabbed Yellensky and Ukraine in the back and sided with Russia. And wants to turn Gaza into a resort. Maybe the federal employees should walk out.
Several years back Putin gave an interview in which he said it was difficult to talk to Trump since he didn’t have a basic knowledge of world history – Putin would have to give him a history lesson before they got down to the current issue they were trying to discuss. It appears Trump’s foreign policies are seriously flawed and he’s pissed off most everyone in his first month. Not looking good.
The difference between many countries in Europe vs the US is there the government is afraid of the people and here the people are afraid of the government…
Amazing insight and comment.
Hageman is an idiot.!!!! The workers should not do anything except go to work and do their jobs. What Musk and Trump is asking is illegal. Musk has no authority over these federal workers.
As of the time of this writing, both the FBI and the DOD have told their employees not to respond to Musk’s order to report/justify their activities. I have not seen anything from other agencies. But it does seem that all is not smooth in Trumpland. Good.
As for our Congressional Delegation, they’re in full support for what Trump, Trump’s minions, Elon Musk, and Elon’s muskiviks (rhymes with bolsheviks) are doing. How despicable. Maybe they’ll hold one or two town meetings so we can let them know what we think of the disaster that is the Trump administration.
I am heartened by any degree of resistance displayed by federal workers. I hope those of us on the outside, as it were, resist as well.
Voters need to understand that our congressional delegation is, as you say, “in full support of Trump…Elon Musk.” Most importantly, that delegation is Republican. The Republican-spurred chaos unfolding at the federal level is also playing out at the state level. One only has to try to fathom the stew of disorder in Cheyenne to see the spread of Republican craziness. The insanity may be on its way to the local level, too. If it takes root there….
For the ”Hag” to make such sweeping , denigrating statements regarding environmentalists, resource managers and climate scientists reveals a lot about her cognitive ability and personality!
Please keep the ignorance of our Legislators and the president in the fore front of your mind when you return to the polls!!! Barrasso, Lumis and Hageman think what is currently happening in our state and country in Grand!!!!! Zero Compassion, Brains or serious consideration as to where we are headed as a nation, and worse this state!! Appalling, disheartening, no compassion. We will pay. Wyoming will become a huge toilet bowl.