The Veterans Affairs firings are part of an effort by President Donald Trump and mega-billionaire Elon Musk to radically shrink the federal workforce.

A message from Elon Musk asserting that federal employees will be given "a second chance" to respond to his ultimatum that they justify their jobs or risk termination is likely to spark another round of confusion across the U.

A defiant threat by Elon Musk warning that federal employees will be given "a second chance" to respond to his email asking them to justify their jobs or risk termination is likely to spark another round of confusion across the U.

Elon Musk told federal workers Monday evening that they had "another chance" to justify their work or lose their jobs. The original deadline passed later on Monday.