According to the White House, one million federal workers responded to an email requesting an accounting of their work last week. The email was part of a new personnel directive that caused confusion among the federal workforce when it was sent out on a Saturday evening.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that President Donald Trump would defer to his Cabinet secretaries on how to proceed with the order. Leavitt mentioned that agency heads would determine the best practices for their employees at their specific agencies.
Despite the directive, a number of agencies instructed their staff not to respond, a decision that Trump reportedly endorsed. Leavitt emphasized that the president supported these decisions.
Leavitt also addressed speculations about potential cracks within the administration and with Elon Musk, the billionaire tasked by Trump with reforming the federal government. She clarified that the president, Elon Musk, and the entire Cabinet were working as a unified team to implement what she described as 'very common sense solutions'.
