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Elon Musk has issued a warning to U.S. government employees, stating that they must disclose their work activities from the past week or risk termination. On Saturday, the billionaire announced that, in line with President Donald Trump’s directives, all federal employees would soon receive an email requesting a summary of their achievements from the previous week. The leader of the Department of Government Efficiency stated that non-compliance would be interpreted as resignation.
A subsequent memo from the U.S. government’s human resources department instructed government staff to submit approximately five bullet points detailing their accomplishments by midnight on Monday. Employees were also cautioned against including any classified information in their responses.
This directive, reminiscent of Musk’s approach during his acquisition of Twitter, followed a post by Donald Trump praising Musk’s performance and encouraging a more aggressive approach. Musk’s Doge initiative has already significantly impacted key government departments, resulting in the dissolution of numerous contracts and the suspension of tens of thousands of staff members.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for dismissing veterans and cybersecurity personnel, leading to rehiring efforts at the agency responsible for securing the nation’s nuclear arsenal. The Doge initiative also offered federal employees the opportunity to resign if unwilling to return to full-time office work, with initial projections suggesting up to 200,000 resignations. Ultimately, 77,000 employees opted to leave.
On Friday, President Trump dismissed General CQ Brown from his position as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with five other senior Pentagon officials. Additionally, the defense department plans a reduction of 5,400 probationary workers in the coming week.
The email directive from the Office of Personnel Management did not reiterate Musk’s online threat of termination for non-compliance. However, Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, expressed the organization’s intent to contest any unlawful terminations of federal employees. Kelley criticized Musk and the Trump administration for their perceived disregard for federal employees and the essential services they provide. A spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management did not respond to requests for comment.
