Federal workers faced fresh uncertainty about their futures on Tuesday after Elon Musk gave them "another chance" to respond to his ultimatum that they justify their jobs or risk termination, contradicting guidance from some Trump administration officials that the request was voluntary.
The confusing back-and-forth has rippled through the federal bureaucracy, with some agencies instructing workers to comply and others not. It has become a test of how much power Musk wields over the government's operations as he pursues an unprecedented cost-cutting campaign with President Donald Trump's backing.
Twenty-one workers resigned from his "Department of Government Efficiency" in protest on Tuesday, saying they refused to aid the downsizing effort.
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