The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced Monday that federal employees were not required to comply with an email from billionaire Elon Musk demanding job justifications, amid growing pushback from agencies and labor unions.

Musk’s email, sent over the weekend, instructed the nation’s 2.3 million civil-service workers to submit a five-point summary of their work by a set deadline, sparking confusion and controversy over his role in President Donald Trump’s federal downsizing initiative.

The directive led to varied responses across government agencies, with some initially instructing employees to comply before reversing course. The OPM clarified that responding was voluntary and cautioned against sharing sensitive information. Meanwhile, a federal judge blocked Musk’s team from accessing confidential government data.

Trump defended Musk’s approach, praising the initiative as a means to assess productivity within the federal workforce. However, labor unions have filed lawsuits, seeking to declare Musk’s directive illegal and halt mass layoffs.

The downsizing effort, which has already resulted in over 20,000 job cuts, has created uncertainty for many federal employees and government contractors. Some departments have struggled to rehire workers for critical roles, while affected individuals, like former IRS agent Charles Farinella, expressed concerns about financial stability and benefits coverage.

Musk, who has positioned himself at the center of the administration’s cost-cutting agenda, remains firm on reducing federal spending by $1 trillion. The controversy surrounding his directive highlights broader tensions over the administration’s aggressive approach to government restructuring.