Billionaire Elon Musk has once again made headlines, this time in a controversial move urging U.S. federal employees to justify their work or resign. On Saturday, government workers received an email demanding a list of their accomplishments from the past week, following a tweet from Musk warning that failure to respond would be treated as a resignation. This directive comes amid the Trump administration’s aggressive push to downsize government operations.
The email, titled “What did you do last week?”, was sent from an account listed as HR and instructed federal workers to submit five bullet points detailing their accomplishments. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) later confirmed the email’s authenticity, stating that it aligns with the administration’s goal of maintaining an efficient and accountable workforce.
Musk, who has been leading an external initiative to slash government spending, has received backing from Trump, who spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on the same day. During his speech, Trump criticized federal employees for working remotely and vowed to purge what he described as “unnecessary, incompetent, and corrupt bureaucrats.” He applauded Musk’s cost-cutting strategies and called for even more aggressive downsizing measures.
The effort has drawn widespread criticism, particularly from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers. AFGE President Everett Kelley condemned the email as “cruel and disrespectful,” vowing to challenge any unlawful terminations resulting from the directive. The move has also sparked resistance within government agencies. Newly-appointed FBI Director Kash Patel instructed his employees to “pause any responses” to the OPM email, asserting that the agency would conduct its own reviews internally.
The Trump administration has already overseen significant cuts to federal departments, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Pentagon, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), under the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). Thousands of employees have been dismissed in recent weeks as part of Musk’s broader restructuring plans.
Musk’s directive mirrors his past actions at Twitter (now X), where he issued ultimatums for employees to commit to an “extremely hardcore” work environment or resign. Trump has repeatedly praised Musk’s efforts, posting on Truth Social that the billionaire is doing a “great job” in reducing government size and should push even harder.
With federal employees and labor unions preparing to fight back, the coming weeks will determine whether Musk’s mandate will lead to widespread resignations or a fierce legal and political battle over the future of the U.S. federal workforce.
