Musk, who’s leading Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government, stood by the requirement Monday even as confusion spread.

An Elon Musk ultimatum demanding federal workers report what they accomplished last week or lose their jobs is facing pushback leading up to a midnight deadline to respond.

Federal employees are raising alarms over Elon Musk’s push to reshape the US government, an effort now compounded by a weekend directive for workers to justify their jobs in writing. The mounting pressure has left many in the federal workforce feeling vulnerable.