Federal employees are facing a new directive from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has instructed them to submit weekly reports outlining their accomplishments or risk being considered as having resigned. The directive, which Musk announced on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has sparked widespread backlash and legal questions regarding its enforcement.
Musk, who serves as an advisor to President Donald Trump and leads the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), first posted about the mandate on Saturday afternoon. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Shortly after, federal employees across multiple agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), received an email with the subject line “What did you do last week?” The message directed employees to list approximately five bullet points summarizing their work and to copy their manager in the response. The email also specified that no classified information, links, or attachments should be included, and set a deadline of Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
While Musk’s social media post suggested that noncompliance would result in termination, the email itself made no mention of disciplinary action. The lack of explicit consequences in the official communication has left legal experts questioning whether the administration has the authority to enforce such a demand.
A spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), McLaurine Pinover, confirmed that the request was part of promoting accountability and efficiency in the federal workforce. “Agencies will determine any next steps,” Pinover said, leaving the possibility of consequences for employees who do not comply.
The directive has been met with fierce opposition from federal employee unions. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) immediately pushed back, with National President Everett Kelly calling the move “a blatant attack on hardworking public servants.”
“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,” Kelly stated. “It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who serve in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to an out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed a single hour of public service in his life.”
Kelly vowed that AFGE would challenge any wrongful terminations resulting from the directive, warning that mass firings of federal workers could disrupt essential government functions.
The controversy comes amid ongoing upheaval in the federal workforce following President Trump’s executive order on February 11, which directed agencies to implement a “workforce optimization initiative” led by Musk’s DOGE. Reports indicate that approximately 75,000 federal employees accepted buyouts amid fears of layoffs, though some have since reported that their severance payments have not been processed. While official figures on layoffs remain unavailable, estimates suggest that over 100,000 federal workers could lose their jobs.
The directive has raised concerns about potential disruptions in government operations, particularly in agencies responsible for public health, environmental monitoring, and consumer protection. Critics argue that the administration’s push for efficiency could compromise the effectiveness of key services.
As uncertainty looms, federal employees are left questioning their job security and the implications of failing to comply with the reporting requirement. With legal challenges mounting, unions preparing for court battles, and government agencies struggling to interpret the new policy, the situation continues to evolve, leaving the future of thousands of public servants hanging in the balance.
