And federal workers who are on vacation or leave and don't have any of their work devices are supposed to do what, exactly? (This is not a hypothetical question. At least one person I know is presently in this situation.)
And you would guess that based on what, exactly? Based on Musk being a nice guy who has a history of treating the people under his power fairly? Because that is not the case. Or based on the existence of any sort of communication from Musk or your agency HR suggesting that having someone reply on your behalf is acceptable? Because that is not the case either.
Just suggesting what I would do if I cared about my job. Everything done so far is identical to just about every tech company downsizing I've been involved in.