Brian Barrett: Well, and I’m going to start, just to clarify too, I think that important part of this is that the initial email did not say that they would be dismissed if they did not answer. The email itself has just told us, send us a list with chips of five things from what you did last week. And then Elon separately on X tweeted, by the way, if you do not write, you will be forced to resign.
Katie Drummond: I hope that all 2.3 million federal workers regularly check X or they will seek important updates on their government status.
Brian Barrett: And really, I spoke to a person who works in the federal government who attenuated Elon Musk on X and had not seen it until Monday evening. It is therefore only part of the chaos that followed. The other part, and the larger part is that the leadership of all these agencies seemed to have any idea that it was going to happen. It was just an abandoned bomb in the middle of the weekend on the federal workforce. And because of this, there was a race for each agency to find out how to react. At the Noaa, there was a feeling of not responding. It could be a phishing email. Let’s unfold it. Then once they decided =
Katie Drummond: It looks like spam.
Brian Barrett: Yeah, this is the case. In other agencies, there was sort of, in general, there was a meaning in the same way, wait, wait until Monday and you will get more advice. Meanwhile, some people already recording in email. Some people are not. Some people have not even seen it. Then, some agencies began to take a stand, notably the FBI, where Kash Patel, which is perhaps the most faithful of Trump’s loyalists in these posts, apparently traced a line and said: “No, do not write to that.” The State Department also said: “Absolutely not. You don’t do that.” And then we have sort of seen mixed advice at the NIH. There was a kind of yes but no but yes. Other agencies have not received any directive. In some cases, federal judges received this email.
It was a truly Shambolic episode that speaks, I think, how much Doge’s actions are arbitrary, capricious, idiots, a lot of Doge’s actions, and I mean idiot in the sense of not thinking, but with very serious implications obviously. Regarding the place where we landed there, OPM said later: “No matter. You are not going to be dismissed. Do not worry.” And Elon Musk usefully tweeted after that, that people would have another chance, but next time, next time, they will be dismissed. Which was still just a tweet.
Katie Drummond: And I believe that the president himself on Monday afternoon said something to the effect they better respond or they will be somehow semi-foueux or licensed. Which, once again, incredibly unclear, and to be serious for a minute, I mean is a ridiculous email. It is a ridiculous situation. But putting me in the place of someone who works for the federal government at the moment, it is their livelihood. This is how they support their family. This is how they are paid.
