The request for employees to outline their job accomplishments has been met with pushback from departments and agencies.

A defiant threat by Elon Musk warning that federal employees will be given "a second chance" to respond to his email asking them to justify their jobs or risk termination is likely to spark another round of confusion across the U.

The confusion and anxiety of the agency manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation, was a common response to the email that is part of billionaire Elon Musk’s push to slash the size of the government on behalf of President Donald Trump, according to lawmakers and employees.