Tech billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency task force ordered all federal workers to send periodic emails with five things they accomplished that week, under threat of losing their jobs — but yet another problem has cropped up with this exercise, ABC News reported on Wednesday.
"A number of employees across multiple agencies have received bounce-back emails indicating that the mailbox they were directed to email at the Office of Personnel Management is full, thus preventing them from sending their reports, according to multiple emails reviewed by ABC News," wrote Will Steakin. The message they received, per the report, is, "The recipient's mailbox is full and can't accept messages now. Please try resending your message later or contact the recipient directly."
Affected agencies include the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the report.
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"In response to the bounce-backs, some agencies have directed employees to send their reports to an alternate OPM email address," the report continued. For example, "Staff at the Department of Health and Human Services received an internal email Monday stating, 'We are aware that emails ... are being returned as undeliverable. Please send your weekly accomplishments to [another address] and cc your supervisor.'"
Musk's demand for the "5 things" email has also been complicated by some departments simply countermanding his orders, with the Pentagon telling staffers not to respond to the requests.
All of this is occurring as Musk's role in the federal government, and the powers granted to DOGE more generally, are being challenged in federal court. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in D.C., made famous by presiding over President Donald Trump's criminal case for election interference, ordered discovery to move ahead against DOGE in one such suit, but an appeals court panel has temporarily blocked this order.