(Reuters) – The Trump administration issued emails on Saturday, February 22, 2025, evening directing U.S. federal government employees to submit detailed accounts of their work accomplishments from the previous week by Monday night or risk losing their jobs.
The emails followed a post by Elon Musk, head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on the social media platform X. Musk stated that failure to respond to the request would be interpreted as a resignation.
“All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Musk’s announcement came just hours after President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, urging DOGE to take a more aggressive approach in reducing and restructuring the federal workforce, which currently includes 2.3 million employees.
Emails Sent Across Federal Agencies
By Saturday evening, emails with the subject line “What did you do last week?” had been sent to employees across multiple federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to an email reviewed by Reuters, employees were instructed to reply with five bullet points summarizing “what you accomplished at work last week,” copying their managers in their responses. The email, sent from a human resources address within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), gave a deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday for submission.
It remains unclear what legal authority Musk has to terminate federal employees who fail to respond or how the policy would apply to employees engaged in confidential or classified work. Some federal judiciary employees also received the email, despite the judiciary not being part of the executive branch. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) were among those who received the directive. However, most CFPB staff had been instructed not to perform any tasks since earlier this month, creating uncertainty regarding the request. The agency is also under a temporary court order preventing mass firings pending the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings.
A spokesperson for DOGE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Union Vows to Challenge “Unlawful Terminations”
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal employees, issued a strong response, pledging to challenge any unlawful dismissals.
“Once again, Elon Musk and the Trump administration have shown their utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people,” said Everett Kelley, president of AFGE.
The administration’s aggressive push to downsize the federal workforce, led by Musk and his aides at DOGE, has resulted in rapid and controversial layoffs. This has led to errors requiring some agencies to rehire essential employees working in critical areas such as nuclear safety, defense, and power generation.
The initial round of terminations has primarily targeted employees who are easier to dismiss, such as those on probationary status for less than two years or those who have recently transferred to new roles.
However, the indiscriminate approach has resulted in the termination of employees whose positions are not funded by taxpayer dollars. Concerns are mounting nationwide about the loss of essential services and the broader economic impact of federal job cuts on local communities.
President Trump has repeatedly referred to Musk as the de facto leader of DOGE, despite the White House stating in a court filing earlier this month that Musk holds no official position within the agency and has no formal authority over its operations.
Agencies Advise Employees to Hold Off on Responses
Some federal agencies have advised employees not to respond to the email immediately, pending further clarification.
An internal memo sent to NOAA employees, seen by Reuters, stated, “To be clear, this is irregular, unexpected, and warrants further validation by management.”
The Executive Office for United States Attorneys also issued a directive instructing employees to wait until the validity of the email could be confirmed.
Following two weeks of mass layoffs, many federal employees expressed frustration over the abrupt directive.
“After more than two decades of working in federal service, with all outstanding performance reviews and around 18 performance awards, someone at OPM is going to read my five bullets and decide if I’m productive enough?” a federal employee said.
