President Donald Trump took to social media Wednesday morning to push back against rumors of friction between his Cabinet members and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chair Elon Musk.
"ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The Media will see that at the Cabinet Meeting this morning!!!"
Musk is set to attend Trump's Cabinet meeting later in the day on Wednesday, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who made the announcement during her press briefing on Tuesday. Leavitt said Musk will be discussing the work DOGE has been doing and will hear from Cabinet secretaries about their efforts to identify waste, fraud, and abuse at their respective agencies.
The tech billionaire, who is leading Trump's crusade to scale back the immense federal bureaucracy in Washington, made waves with the email he sent to federal employees over the weekend asking them to name five things they accomplished in the week prior. Failure to respond, Musk said, would result in termination.
"What he's doing is saying, 'Are you actually working?'" Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. "And then, if you don't answer, like, you're sort of semi-fired, or you're fired, because a lot of people aren't answering because they don't even exist."
Several agencies, including the FBI, State Department, and the Pentagon, have directed their employees not to comply with Musk's demand, while others are encouraging their workers to respond.
Newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime Trump ally, told bureau employees to ignore Musk's request, at least temporarily.
"The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures," Patel wrote in an email confirmed by The Associated Press. "When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses."
On Sunday morning, the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., instructed its approximately 80,000 employees to comply, shortly after the agency's acting general counsel, Sean Keveney, had told some not to reply. By Sunday evening, HHS leadership was reportedly advising workers to "pause activities" related to Musk's request until Monday at noon.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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