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Elon Musk, acting under President Donald Trump’s directive, announced that all federal employees must account for their weekly work or risk losing their jobs.
The move, part of a broader effort to cut waste and inefficiency in government, has already met resistance from some federal agency leaders.
Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), stated that an email would be sent to all federal employees asking them to summarize their accomplishments from the past week. Failure to respond by Monday night would be treated as a resignation.
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk posted on X on Feb. 22.
The White House later posted a copy of the email, which requires employees to submit a brief summary of their work. However, it did not explicitly mention termination for non-compliance.
Musk later clarified that the standard was minimal, stating, “An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable!” He emphasized that writing the response should take no more than five minutes.
Trump, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), reinforced the demand for greater accountability. He vowed to crack down on remote work, require in-person attendance, and scrutinize government employees who may be working second jobs while on the federal payroll.
“If they don’t report for work, we’re firing them,” Trump declared. “In other words, you have to go to the office, right?”
Trump also referenced the Deferred Retirement Program (DRP), an initiative offering full pay and benefits to employees until Sept. 30 in exchange for their departure.
More than 75,000 workers have reportedly accepted the offer. Trump suggested that many may be leaving to avoid revealing outside income sources.
“One of the reasons they’re leaving is because they don’t want to have to show that, and we’re demanding to see that information,” he said.
Federal Agencies Push Back
The directive has drawn resistance from some federal agencies, particularly those involved in law enforcement and national security.
Kash Patel, who was sworn in as FBI Director just a day before Musk’s announcement, instructed FBI employees to hold off on responding to the email.
“The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses,” Patel told employees.
Two U.S. attorneys, John Durham of the Eastern District of New York and Ed Martin of the District of Columbia, also urged their staff to be cautious. Durham acknowledged that much of their work is classified or law enforcement-sensitive and advised employees to take their time in crafting a response.
Martin, while expressing support for DOGE’s efforts, advised employees to be “general” in their responses if necessary. “DOGE and Elon are doing great work! Historic. We are happy to participate. Please respond to the HR email carefully with regard to confidentiality and our duties. Be general if you need to,” Martin wrote in an internal memo.
Musk’s mandate follows Trump’s push to overhaul the federal bureaucracy, with a stated goal of making government smaller and more efficient. Over the past month, DOGE has already reported $55 billion in savings through workforce reductions, contract cancellations, and other cuts.
Trump has urged Musk to accelerate these efforts, stating, “Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive.”
Musk quickly responded, saying, “Will do, Mr. President.”
With DOGE’s mission set to run until 2026, the demand for weekly accountability may be just the beginning of a deeper transformation in federal employment.