The Trump administration has directed federal employees to submit a summary of their weekly work accomplishments by Monday night or risk losing their jobs, in what is being seen as the latest attempt to restructure the US government workforce.
The directive was communicated through emails sent on Saturday evening to workers across multiple federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others.
The emails followed a post by Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who heads the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on social media platform X. In his post, Musk made it clear that failure to respond would be considered a resignation.
“All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” he wrote. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
The email, reportedly sent from a human resources address at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), instructed employees to submit five bullet points detailing their accomplishments from the previous week. Workers were given until 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday to comply and were asked to copy their managers in their responses.
The move comes hours after former US President Donald Trump urged DOGE to intensify efforts to downsize the 2.3 million-strong federal workforce.
Legal ambiguity and concerns
It remains unclear on what legal grounds Musk can enforce terminations if employees fail to respond, particularly those handling confidential government work.
Notably, employees of the federal judiciary—an independent branch of government—also received the directive, despite not falling under the executive branch’s purview. The Administrative Office of the US Courts has not yet issued a statement regarding the matter.
Workers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) were similarly affected. However, a significant portion of the agency’s staff has been under orders to halt work since early this month due to ongoing legal proceedings. A court order currently prevents the mass firings of CFPB employees.
A spokesperson for DOGE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Union outrage and administrative confusion
The move has sparked outrage among federal employee unions, with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) vowing 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 AFGE President Everett Kelley in a statement.
The restructuring, spearheaded by Musk and a team of young aides, has already resulted in haphazard layoffs, leading to concerns over disruptions to key government functions, including nuclear safety and national defense.
The administration has primarily targeted workers with probationary status—those who have been employed for less than two years—or employees who recently transitioned to new roles. However, several employees whose positions are not funded by taxpayers have also been dismissed, causing further controversy.
Some federal agencies have advised their employees not to respond to the email until further verification is conducted. The Executive Office for United States Attorneys and NOAA both sent internal communications stating that the directive was “irregular” and required validation.
Meanwhile, federal employees expressed growing frustration and uncertainty over their job security.
"After more than two decades of working in federal service, with all outstanding performance reviews and nearly 18 performance awards, someone at OPM is going to read my five bullets and decide if I'm productive enough?" a senior government employee told Reuters.
