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President Donald Trump has issued a stern message to federal workers: follow the new guidelines for reporting personal productivity or risk job loss. This initiative follows an email from Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, which requires federal employees to outline their weekly tasks.
The motivation behind this directive aligns with Musk’s leadership of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency. This department aims to eliminate government waste and combat fraud, of which both Trump and Musk are keenly aware.
Commenting on the initiative, Trump expressed his approval during a recent White House briefing. He stated, “I thought it was great. We have individuals who do not show up to work, and there’s little oversight of their presence in the government. By asking the question ‘what did you accomplish this week,’ Musk is essentially asking if they are doing their jobs. If someone fails to respond, they are either semi-fired or terminated entirely. Many aren’t replying simply because they may not even exist in the capacity that they claim.”
Musk’s email, revealed in a post on X over the weekend, emphasized the urgency of compliance. He indicated that failing to respond could be interpreted as a resignation.
Musk wrote on X, “In keeping with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will soon receive an email requesting a recap of their last week’s accomplishments. Ignoring this request will lead to implications of resignation.”
This request did not go unnoticed. On Saturday, the Office of Personnel Management sent out emails instructing federal employees to compile a list detailing five tasks they completed in the previous week. The deadline for submission was set for 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
However, the American Federation of Government Employees, representing federal workers, has criticized this policy. The union accused Trump and his administration of displaying a profound disregard for government employees.
In a statement, Everett Kelley, National President of the federation, shared his disapproval. “Forcing federal employees to justify their job responsibilities to a billionaire who lacks any public service experience is cruel and disrespectful,” Kelley stated. “We will dispute any unlawful terminations impacting our members and federal employees nationwide.”
Despite the strong push from Musk and Trump, various federal agencies have expressed their autonomy. Reports indicate that several departments have instructed their employees to ignore Musk’s request.
For instance, a letter issued by the Department of Defense reaffirmed the Pentagon’s independence, directing personnel to disregard Musk’s email regarding work details. Darin Selnick, who serves as the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, wrote, “DoD personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The Department of Defense is accountable for evaluating its personnel’s performance and will follow its own established procedures for any reviews.”
Selnick further advised employees to hold off on responses to the OPM email titled “What did you do last week.”
In a similar vein, FBI Director Kash Patel conveyed to his staff that the agency would adhere strictly to its internal protocols for performance reviews, as confirmed by the Associated Press.
DOGE, which focuses on identifying and rectifying government overspending, now faces legal challenges from employees contesting Musk’s attempts to audit several federal entities. These lawsuits are part of a broader dialogue regarding efficiency and accountability within government structures.
The clash between Musk’s directive and the resistance from federal agencies highlights a critical discussion about workplace accountability in the public sector. As the dialogue continues, the implications for federal employees remain uncertain.
The future actions of both the Trump administration and Musk could reshape the landscape of government employment standards. Observers are keenly monitoring developments in this situation as it unfolds.
This evolving saga not only reflects the tensions between private sector initiatives and public sector work but also raises questions about the balance of power and the approach to governmental efficiency.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner, Jennifer Griffin and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
