(NewsNation) — Elon Musk has reiterated the need for federal government employees to explain their weekly tasks as he and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) look to scale back operations.

Musk, who was hand-picked by President Donald Trump to examine and cut federal spending, explained why he believes it is necessary on X on Sunday.

“The reason this matters is that a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they are not checking their email at all!” he said.

“In some cases, we believe non-existent people or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks. In other words, there is outright fraud.”

Musk announced on Saturday that civil servants will be asked to send an email explaining what they accomplished last week. Those who don’t comply will be fired, he said.

The message told federal employees to “please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullet points of what you accomplished last week,” copying their manager, by 11:59 p.m. EST Monday.

A growing list of agencies, including the Pentagon, FBI, State Department and Intelligence Community, on Sunday had told their employees to hold off.

A source told NewsNation that nonpolitical appointees at one agency are being told by White House liaisons not to respond.

Patel tells FBI employees to pause any responses to DOGE email

Newly-appointed FBI Director Kash Patel sent a message to the FBI workforce on Saturday night telling them not to reply to the emails.

In a memo obtained by NewsNation, Patel said the bureau would handle future responses to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) inquiries.

“FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” Patel wrote in his message. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures.”

“When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses,” Patel continued. “For now, please pause any responses.”

Department of Defense tells employees to pause responses

The Department of Defense shared a message to its employees on X, noting that it is responsible for reviewing employee performance.

“When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM. For now, please pause any response to the OPM email titled ‘What did you do last week,’” Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Darin Selnick said in a statement.

State Department says employees aren’t obligated to respond

NBC News reported that the State Department also instructed its employees not to respond.

“The State Department will respond on behalf of the Department. No employee is obligated to report their activities outside of their Department chain of command,” read a notice from Tibor Nagy, acting under secretary for management at the State Department.

Tulsi Gabbard says National Intelligence employees shouldn’t respond

And the New York Times reported that National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard sent similar guidance to employees of agencies she oversees in the Intelligence Community (I.C.).

“Given the inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work, I.C. employees should not respond to the OPM email,” Gabbard reportedly wrote.

National Treasury Employees Union employees advised not to respond

A screenshot posted online shows an email the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) sent to its members saying employees were “strongly” advised to not respond to OPM’s request.

“We are concerned about the implications of this request and are actively working to protect your rights and interests,” the NTEU said in a statement.

DHS says it will handle responding to OPM

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has informed its employees that it will respond directly to the request, requiring no action from individual offices or staff.

An internal email sent Sunday stated that DHS management would handle the response on behalf of the entire department and its component agencies.

“No reporting action from you is needed at this time,” wrote Deputy Under Secretary for Management R.D. Alles, instructing employees to refrain from responding outside their DHS chain of command.

The directive was also sent to federal air marshals, according to a member of the national council.

Department of Health and Human Services backtracks, tells employees to ‘pause’

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two conflicting emails to employees Sunday, according to a source who shared the messages with NewsNation.

The first email, sent in the morning, confirmed that employees should respond to the “What did you do last week?” email. However, a second email sent in the evening reversed course, instructing employees to “pause” answering the OPM request, with further guidance expected around noon Tuesday.

Another message to National Institutes of Health employees urged employees to hold off.

NewsNation partner The Hill contributed to this report.