On Friday evening, the Trump administration initiated a second round of emails demanding that all federal employees summarize their work accomplishments from the previous week. This renewed effort follows an initial attempt that faced confusion and lack of compliance due to mixed messages. According to Reuters, the emails were dispatched by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to various federal agencies, instructing workers to list five significant achievements from the week.
This initiative is part of a broader strategy led by billionaire Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to evaluate the performance of government employees. The administration aims to implement mass layoffs as part of efforts to significantly reduce the federal workforce. Musk emphasized on social media platform X that compliance with this directive is mandatory for all executive branch employees.
For those involved in classified or sensitive work, the OPM clarified that while they must respond to the email, they can indicate that their work involves sensitive information. Last week, Musk attempted to enforce compliance with a warning that noncompliant workers could face termination. However, he encountered resistance when agencies like the State and Justice Departments instructed their employees to adhere to the established chain of command. As a result, OPM indicated that responses to the emails were voluntary.
Despite the initial pushback, Musk, with the backing of President Donald Trump, persisted in advocating for the accountability emails as a means to monitor government performance. Both Musk and Trump have implied that some federal workers may not be actively contributing to the workforce. Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and labor unions, warn that sweeping layoffs could jeopardize essential government functions and services.
The latest round of emails does not threaten retaliation for noncompliance but indicates that responses are expected at the beginning of each workweek. Media reports suggest that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has instructed Pentagon employees to comply with this directive. However, the State Department has reiterated its stance, advising employees to refrain from responding.
The Department of Homeland Security has directed its staff to reply to an internal email labeled “accountability,” reflecting its national security focus. The Justice Department has also received similar instructions, with the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, urging compliance among his office's employees.
Musk took to social media on Saturday to assert that all federal departments are cooperating with DOGE initiatives. For certain agencies, such as the State Department and the Department of Defense, supervisors are compiling weekly accomplishments on behalf of employees. Notably, the emails have reached staff at the Internal Revenue Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Institutes of Health, all of which have been identified as targets for potential layoffs.
Last week, Musk’s team requested that agencies submit plans by March 13 for substantial staffing reductions. As of now, approximately 100,000 federal workers have accepted buyouts or been terminated as part of DOGE’s efforts to streamline federal staffing and spending, which encompasses about 2.3 million federal employees. The layoffs have been executed in a haphazard manner, causing agencies like the Food and Drug Administration to recall personnel to maintain public safety.
In a concerning development, the Social Security Administration announced plans to cut 7,000 positions and close several regional offices, which could affect the distribution of benefits to millions of Americans. Furthermore, the Trump administration recently disbanded a team of skilled civil servants at the Internal Revenue Service known as 18F, which had played a vital role in improving government technology and efficiency.
Questions surrounding Musk's influence and the role of DOGE have sparked multiple lawsuits aimed at preventing them from accessing government systems and sensitive data. These legal challenges argue that Musk's actions contravene the Constitution by exercising authority typically reserved for Congress or Senate-confirmed appointments. Despite the controversies, Trump reportedly fully supports Musk's initiatives, although there is noted tension among White House aides regarding Musk's role, as he is not a Senate-confirmed Cabinet member.
