Elon Musk’s government efficiency plan faces setback as federal inbox overflows: Report

Elon Musk’s initiative to have federal workers submit five-point summaries of their weekly work under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has run into a new hurdle: an overwhelmed email inbox, Bloomberg reported.

Workers attempting to send their lists are receiving bounce-back messages stating that their emails have not been delivered. “The recipient’s mailbox is full and can’t accept messages now. Please try resending your message later, or contact the recipient directly,” read an email reportedly seen by Bloomberg that bounced back from HR@opm.gov.

The Department of Health and Human Services has informed employees that it is aware of the issue and instructed them to send their weekly reports to a different Office of Personnel Management (OPM) email address, according to the report. OPM and HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Bloomberg said.


The report highlights that this is a significant challenge for Musk, who has positioned DOGE as a solution to streamline government operations. He has also been seen in Washington wearing a “Tech Support” t-shirt. In late February, more than one million federal workers—less than half of the total workforce—responded to Musk’s email in the first week of submissions, the report states. The White House has not provided updated figures.

However, Bloomberg notes that the full inbox notification suggests OPM is receiving a high volume of emails. The report claims that federal agencies have issued varied and sometimes conflicting instructions on whether employees should respond. Last week, NASA launched an app for workers to submit their reports, calling it a “secure, internal tool” instead of using OPM’s email.