During an interview on MSNBC on Tuesday, American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley stated that he wishes government employees had time to respond to Elon Musk’s email “but they are actually performing services.” And “I really wish that Elon Musk would spend some time just to figure out what it is that the federal employee does. … Take time and listen to the federal workforce, ask them what it is that they do, and you won’t have so many mistakes, you won’t have to repeat yourself over and over and over.”
Kelley said, “I wish I had time to really respond to these emails that the employees are receiving or wish they had the time, but they are actually performing services. But we are telling the employees that you don’t work for Elon Musk, you work for your various agencies. Consult with your agencies, and if your agency feels that you need to respond, respond to them. But even so many agencies know that this was not the right way to approach this situation. And so, they, in turn, told the members and workers not to respond to this email. So, we are saying, talk to the people that you work for, not to DOGE and not to Elon Musk, because you do not work for them.”
He added, “I really wish that Elon Musk would spend some time just to figure out what it is that the federal employee does. These are the people that are actually making sure that the food we eat is safe. These are people that take care of veterans. These are people that make sure that our most vulnerable people, elders, receive their [benefits] every single month. Take time and listen to the federal workforce, ask them what it is that they do, and you won’t have so many mistakes, you won’t have to repeat yourself over and over and over.”
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