Elon Musk’s push to streamline the U.S. federal government is facing an unexpected obstacle: overflowing email Inboxes.
Federal employees tasked with submitting weekly activity reports—part of the efficiency program (DOGE) spearheaded by Musk—have begun receiving automated error messages. “The recipient’s mailbox is full and can’t accept messages now. Please try resending your message later, or contact the recipient directly,” reads a notification from vog.mpo@RH, according to Bloomberg.
The Department of Health and Human Services acknowledged the issue, directing employees to a different email address. Neither the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) nor the department has provided further comment.
The technical glitch is an embarrassment for Musk, who has touted DOGE as a key initiative to modernize the government bureaucracy. The world’s richest man was recently seen in Washington wearing a black “Tech Support” t-shirt.
The weekly email reports have been controversial since their introduction. Some department heads under the Trump administration instructed employees to disregard the directive, citing security concerns. Musk responded with threats of layoffs, prompting the White House to clarify that agencies could decide how to handle the mandate.
As of late February, just over one million federal employees—less than half the total workforce—had submitted their reports. The White House has not released updated numbers, but the full inboxes suggest a steady influx of emails.
The effort to collect the reports is part of a broader push to reduce federal staffing. DOGE has led layoffs among probationary employees and shuttered offices focused on diversity and inclusion. The Trump administration has also targeted agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
On Monday, Trump signaled that the pace of cuts may slow in the coming months, telling his cabinet, “In two or three months, we’ll be essentially satisfied with the downsizing we’ve achieved.”
