Like every U.S. government employee, NASA employees received a list from the Office of Personnel Management. Elon has threatened that if they do not respond to him, they will face dismissal. However, agency leaders urge them not to do so.
What did you do last week?
On February 22, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management stirred up the entire country by sending out a letter to all government employees asking them to tell what they did last week. This fate did not escape those who work at NASA, who were asked to list no less than 5 of their accomplishments by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 24.
This news might not have made so much noise, but almost simultaneously with it, Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), published a message on the X network that soon all government employees would receive such a letter and refusal to answer it would be considered as a desire to quit.
The letter from the Office of Personnel Policy, on the other hand, says nothing like that. Just an indication that there should be no attachments, links, or sensitive information in the response. Nevertheless, Musk’s publication still scares people, even though they doubt that he has the right to implement what he threatens.
NASA’s position
The status of Elon Musk, who is both one of the richest businessmen in the U.S. and the head of DOGE, with the powers of that organization itself, and whether the billionaire is officially running it and how it all fits with the law, remains in question.
Musk is in a standoff with NASA management, which he criticizes for inefficiency. The agency tries to keep him out of it. Therefore, his wishes are treated ambiguously. For example, the Science Mission Directorate advised staff to respond to the letter nonetheless, citing that it could be used to spread the word about important science projects such as SPHEREx, PUNCH, and Blue Ghost 1.
However, the rest of NASA advised not to rush with the answer and wait for the decision of the agency’s leadership, which is to be provided on February 24. Therefore, the Department of Scientific Research subsequently joined this view as well.
Other federal agencies, from the FBI to the State Department, also urged employees not to immediately respond to the email. Members of Congress responded by questioning the Office of Personnel Management’s authority to make such requests and use it to potentially terminate employees.
According to spacenews.com
