Employees at the National Institutes of Health were instructed to stop sending emails that accounted for what they did the week before.
Washingtonian viewed a copy of an email to staffers from the NIH Executive Secretariat that instructed them to “Please disregard any future reminders or instructions on this directive from OPM or the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).” it continues:
As an operating division of HHS, NIH manages its own performance review processes and will notify employees directly if any information related to work duties or performance is needed.
NIH spokespeople have not yet replied to an request for comment about the apparent change. The emails are a recent task for federal employees instituted by Elon Musk, who sought to institute them as his DOGE project slashed headcounts at federal agencies. Musk initially declared that anyone who didn’t answer would effectively resign, but the administration later said the missives were voluntary. Employees at some agencies reported that their emails bounced back from the OPM address they were instructed to use. Cybersecurity experts said the emails could risk national security; and some employees have been told not to include classified information.
Politico wrote yesterday that NIH’s move could be a “sign that the agency’s recently confirmed director, Jay Bhattacharya, is willing to break with Musk and DOGE.” People on the r/fednews subreddit offer varying accounts of their purported agencies’ requirements, with some saying they still have to do them and others saying they haven’t been asked to submit a bullet points email in weeks.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
