U.S. government workers who have been buffeted by President Donald Trump's chaotic return to power face more uncertainty on Monday, when many of them will be required to justify their jobs to Elon Musk,

The guidance marks notable public disagreement between Trump appointees who manage thousands of bureaucrats and Musk who - as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) - has been leading an outside effort to aggressively reduce government spending.

Several US government agencies have advised their employees to ignore for now a demand from Elon Musk’s government efficiency office to justify their jobs or face dismissal.

By Kirsti Knolle and Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) -German conservatives under Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to quickly form a government after winning a national election but face tricky coalition talks and the prospect of an obstructive parliament after far-right and far-left parties surged.

Merz says he wants to form a new government as soon as possible, noting the world “won’t wait for us” to have lengthy coalition talks. The far-right Alternative for Germany is tracking second and looks on course to become the main opposition force in the parliament.