On Saturday afternoon, federal employees across the United States received an email instructing them to report their activities from the previous week. Elon Musk, who is overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency team, stated that failure to respond would result in termination. The emails followed Musk’s announcement of this ultimatum amid the ongoing termination of at least 20,000 government workers over the past month.
In a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk referenced President Donald Trump’s instructions, indicating that all federal workers would soon receive an email asking for a summary of their achievements from the last week. He noted that non-compliance would be regarded as a resignation.
This email, verified by NPR, was distributed by the Office of Personnel Management. The email instructed employees to provide approximately five bullet points detailing last week’s accomplishments and to copy their manager, with a deadline set for Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET. Employees were advised not to include any classified information in their responses.
The Office of Personnel Management clarified that the email forms part of the Trump Administration’s initiative to ensure a productive and accountable federal workforce and mentioned that agencies would decide on subsequent actions.
The legal implications of this directive remain uncertain as many federal employees are protected by civil service regulations that prevent termination without just cause.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), representing over 800,000 public servants, announced plans to contest any illegal dismissals. AFGE’s National President, Everett Kelley, criticized Musk and the Trump Administration for what he described as disregard for federal employees and their vital services. Kelley expressed particular concern for veterans working in civil service roles, highlighting Musk’s lack of experience in public service.
The directive is a part of Musk’s and the new Trump administration’s ongoing initiative to remove government employees and top officials from federal agencies. Musk has previously applied similar management strategies at other companies, such as mandating weekly productivity and attendance reports from employees at Twitter and Tesla.
