During the first Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday (Feb 28), US President Donald Trump and his close aide Elon Musk defended the email sent to federal employees, demanding what they have done in their job recently.

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When asked by a reporter whether federal workers who did not respond to the email risk being fired, Musk said that he wants to keep everyone who is doing well, otherwise, they should not be on the public payroll.

The billionaire said that Trump authorised the email. He added that another one is coming.

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“We want to keep everyone who is essential and doing their job well, otherwise they should not be on the public payroll,” he said.

Musk added that anyone who does not respond to the email “is presumed dead” or is “a fraudster”.

‘Maybe they don't exist’

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While Trump said, “Maybe they don't exist”, referring to more than a million federal employees who have not responded to the email yet.

Trump said during the meeting that those who haven’t responded are “on the bubble”, adding that “maybe they’re going to be gone.”

He also slammed former president Joe Biden, suggesting that his administration did not track their own workforce properly.

Also read | Confidence in nation at 'all-time high': 10 key takeaways from Trump's first official cabinet meeting

“We're trying to figure out who those people are who haven't responded. We're being a little more surgical in situations where people are doing classified stuff,” Trump said.

Trump called on the cabinet members, urging them to “do their own DOGE” at their respective agencies. He also suggested the Environmental Protection Agency should shrink its workforce by up to 65 per cent.

A day earlier, the White House stated that over one million federal employees had responded to the email.

Musk’s email

Federal workers were sent an email by Musk’s team asking workers, “What did you do last week?” Musk warned that failing to reply to the email would be taken as their resignation, sparking confusion among the employees. 

Also read | Trump administration orders federal agencies to prepare for job cuts

However, FBI Director Kash Patel instructed the staff in his agency to “please pause any responses”, making clear that “no employee is obligated to report their activities outside of their Department chain of command.” 

The US Office of Personnel Management also directed agencies that responses to the email were optional.

(With inputs from agencies)